PRIME MINISTER

British Sky Broadcasting

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason his deputy press spokeswoman informed the media on 19 July 2011 that he had had no discussions with James Murdoch about BSkyB.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) on 20 July 2011, Official Report, column 931.

British Sky Broadcasting

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister what advice he has taken about whether he is required to initiate an investigation into whether the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport was in breach of the Ministerial Code with respect to the proposed takeover of BSkyB.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) on 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 945.

NORTHERN IRELAND

BMI

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the takeover by IAG of bmi on the Belfast city to Heathrow air route.

Owen Paterson: I have discussed the matter with Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Airlines Group, and also with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport and in the Northern Ireland Executive.
	Maintaining Northern Ireland's domestic and international air links is of huge importance for business and tourism. I note the commitments given by Mr Walsh that IAG will maintain:
	“a comprehensive domestic schedule including Belfast.”
	The Northern Ireland Regional Development Minister, Mr Danny Kennedy, has registered with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), the importance that Northern Ireland is connected to a hub airport. We will ensure the DFT Aviation Framework addresses Northern Ireland needs when it is put to consultation in the summer.

HMS Caroline

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on plans for the future of HMS Caroline.

Hugo Swire: I held discussions about HMS Caroline with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment today and offered my support to the Executive's plans to safeguard its future in Belfast.

Parades Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make an assessment of the value for money of the work of each member of the Parades Commission.

Hugo Swire: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 695W.
	The Parades Commission is an independent non-departmental public body. The Commission's accounting officer holds delegated responsibility for considering value for money in respect of the Commission's operations and the chairman holds responsibility for assessing the effectiveness and performance of the individual members of the Commission.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's percentage procurement spend with small and medium-sized enterprises was in (a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11, (b) the first quarter of 2011-12 and (c) the second quarter of 2011-12.

Owen Paterson: The Department does not currently record and publish information about the size of suppliers as this does not fully reflect the number and size of businesses engaged in supplying goods and services. For example, small and medium-sized enterprises can be found within larger supply chains.
	The total number of invoices received by the Department in the requested periods are as follows:
	(a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11: 2,463
	(b) the first quarter of 2011-12: 2,133
	(c) the second quarter of 2011-12: 1,877.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Free Trade: South Korea

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his role was in substantive negotiations with the South Korean Government on free trade.

Nicholas Clegg: EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations are carried out by the European Commission, led by the Trade Commissioner, on behalf of all EU member states. FTA negotiations between the EU and South Korea began in May 2007 and the final agreement was approved by the European Council in September 2010. The FTA has been in force provisionally since July 2011. During my visit to Seoul in March, I announced UK ratification of the FTA.

Free Trade: South Korea

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the UK automotive industry on the free trade agreement with South Korea.

Nicholas Clegg: My Office received a written briefing from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd ahead of my recent visit to South Korea.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Abu Qatada

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date she received assurances from the Jordanian authorities that evidence obtained from torture would not be used during Abu Qatada's trial.

James Brokenshire: We have been in continuous dialogue with the Jordanian authorities since the European Court handed down its judgment on 17 January 2012. These discussions have provided us with the key assurances that Qatada will receive a fair trial on his return to Jordan and that we can deport him legally.

Abu Qatada

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on the case of Abu Qatada since 2001.

James Brokenshire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 9 February 2012, Official Report, column 347W. The information requested could be obtained only by the examination of individual records at a disproportionate cost.

Abu Qatada

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent to date on legal fees relating to proceedings involving Abu Qatada.

Damian Green: Since 2002 the legal fees incurred by the Government to deport Abu Qatada are around £825,000. The case is ongoing, and so further costs are likely to be incurred.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the UK Border Agency's work with officials in other EU member states to tackle organised criminal activity related to alcohol duty fraud.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Home Office officials in UK Border Agency or Border Force do not work with officials in other EU member states on alcohol duty fraud. Responsibility for tackling revenue fraud away from the UK border lies with HM Revenue and Customs.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol.

James Brokenshire: The Alcohol Strategy sets out the Government's commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol. We will consult on the level to be set for a minimum unit price in the forthcoming months.

Animal Experiments

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason her Department’s response to the public consultation on the EU directive on animal experimentation has not yet been published.

Lynne Featherstone: Over 13,000 individuals and nearly 100 organisations responded to the public consultation on European directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Analysis of the responses has taken time, but has now been completed. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation as soon as we have completed our consideration of the options for transposition.

Antisocial Behaviour

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the cost to police forces in England of policing anti-social behaviour associated with betting shops;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the police forces in England of disorder and crime associated with betting shops.

Nick Herbert: We have made no such estimate or assessment. Decisions regarding the funding and resourcing of local policing are for the chief constable and their police authority based on local priorities and need. The election of police and crime commissioners in November will give the public a voice in these decisions for the first time.

Asylum

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum seekers have been transferred from the UK to each other EU member state under the provisions of the Dublin II Regulation in each year since the Regulation took effect;
	(2)  how many asylum seekers have been transferred to the UK from each other EU member state under the provisions of the Dublin II Regulation in each year since the Regulation took effect.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Asylum seekers transferred from the UK to other EU member states 
			  Number 
			 2003 1,377 
		
	
	
		
			 2004 1,904 
			 2005 1,924 
			 2006 1,663 
			 2007 1,157 
			 2008 1,246 
			 2009 1,005 
			 2010 1,162 
		
	
	
		
			 Asylum seekers transferred to the UK from other EU member states 
			  Number 
			 2003 100 
			 2004 105 
			 2005 156 
			 2006 399 
			 2007 401 
			 2008 413 
			 2009 368 
			 2010 268 
			 Note: The figures are based on management information data that is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. The figures do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional. Figures for 2011 are not currently available, nor has it been possible within the timeframe to provide a breakdown by member state.

Asylum: Appeals

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the hon. Member for Vauxhall's constituent, Ref: R1001999, to receive his leave to remain documents following his allowed appeal.

Damian Green: I will write to the hon. Member separately on this individual case.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the services provided to asylum seekers in Northern Ireland; and what plans she has to improve interagency and intersectoral working in respect of refugees and asylum seekers.

Damian Green: In July last year, the UK Border Agency funded the establishment of a Strategic Migration Partnership in Northern Ireland which brings together senior officials from the public, private and voluntary sectors in Northern Ireland under one forum with the specific aim of debating and using cross-sector local knowledge and experience of immigration matters to deliver better and more efficient services.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representation there is on the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum from (a) Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies and (b) voluntary and community sector representatives based in Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: The National Asylum Stakeholder Forum is a national consultative forum on asylum issues, including refugee integration, for the UK Border Agency and its key stakeholders. The group meets bi-monthly and is comprised of a number of voluntary sector and other Government Department attendees. The full list of members is as follows:
	Organisation
	Statutory sector:
	Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
	Association of Directors of Social Services and Association of Directors of Children's Services
	Asylum Support Appeals Project
	Asylum Support Tribunal
	Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
	Department of Education
	Department of Health (DOH)
	Department of Work and Pensions
	Local Government Association
	MOJ
	Scottish Government
	UNHCR
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
	Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA)
	Voluntary sector:
	Amnesty International
	Asylum Aid
	Bail for Immigration Detainees
	British Red Cross
	Children's Society
	Evelyn Oldfield Unit
	Freedom from Torture
	Helen Bamber Foundation
	Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA)
	International Organization for Migration (IOM)
	Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)
	Refugee Action
	Refugee Council
	Scottish Refugee Council
	The Coram Children's Legal Centre
	The Employability Forum
	Welsh Refugee Council
	Ex officio:
	Asylum Support Partnership (Refugee Council)
	Regional Migration Partnerships

Asylum: Poverty

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the level of destitution and poverty amongst refugees and asylum seekers in Belfast East constituency.

Damian Green: Refugees who are granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom can access mainstream welfare benefits. Asylum seekers who are destitute are provided with accommodation and support by the UK Border Agency until their applications are decided.

Asylum: Young People

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the (a) Equality and Human Rights Commission, (b) Secretary of State for Health, (c) Secretary of State for Education and (d) National Ethics Research Service about the age assessments dental x-ray pilot;
	(2)  what representations she has received from (a) medical experts, (b) children's welfare organisations and (c) other Government Departments about the age assessments dental x-ray pilot;
	(3)  whether she has sought legal advice on the age assessments dental x-ray pilot.

Damian Green: No discussions have been held with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on this issue. The UK Border Agency has engaged with the Department for Education and the Department of Health. Agency officials have also met with representatives of the National Research Ethics Service. The agency has received correspondence from the Chief Medical Officer, the British Dental Association and the Children's Commissioner for England. The agency has sought legal advice on the legality of the trial.

Boston College

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012 from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Official Report, column 49W, on Boston College, what discussions she had with (a) the Police Service of Northern Ireland, (b) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, (c) the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, (d) the Prime Minister and (e) the Attorney General (i) prior to and (ii) after the Government's request to subpoena recordings from the Boston College oral history project.

Nick Herbert: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such meetings.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of individuals (a) arrested and (b) charged within the Northern Basic Command Unit of Cambridgeshire Constabulary were (i) EU nationals and (ii) UK citizens in each month since May 2004; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 April 2012
	Data on arrests reported to the Home Office do not include nationalities of suspects and are not provided to the Home Office broken down by basic command unit.
	Data on charges by basic command unit are not collected centrally.

Children: EU Action

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken towards ratifying and implementing the Council of Europe convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse since 20 May 2011.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in May 2008. Since May 2011, a number of discussions have taken place across Government to assess the individual articles within the Convention and establish a clear picture of current levels of existing compliance.

Citizen Card

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency has any plans to recognise the citizen card as proof of identity.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not have any plans to recognise the citizen card as proof of identity. This card is not issued by the Home Office or indeed any other Government Department or agency. Its primary usefulness is to provide a proof of age of the holder.

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of recruiting the new Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The total cost of recruiting the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service was £10,824. This does not include the cost of staff salaries.

Crime: Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with police forces local to RAF, Army and Royal Navy bases about the investigation of crimes on those bases; what protocols have been established for the conduct of investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: No such discussions have taken place.
	Two protocols exist between the Ministry of Defence and the Association of Chief Police Officers that cover the investigation of crimes at Defence establishments. Responsibility for the investigation of defence-related crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is detailed in a memorandum of understanding between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the MOD dated 6 January 2008 that was communicated under cover of Home Office circular 028/2008, which will be placed in the House Library. A separate protocol providing Guidance on the Investigation of Deaths on land or premises owned, occupied or under the control of the Ministry of Defence was signed in January 2008. Both documents are currently being reviewed.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has any plans to conduct a review of the enforcement of wildlife crime in England; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) inquiry into wildlife crime will examine the scale of wildlife crime in the UK, including how the policing of wildlife crime is coordinated and whether enforcement bodies have sufficient resources and powers.
	The Home Office has submitted evidence, including the views of the UK Border Force, to the EAC inquiry and will consider their recommendations once the findings have been published.

Databases: Telecommunications

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the Communications Capabilities Development Programme in the last year of the programme's start-up; and what estimate she has made of the annual running costs of the Programme.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The costs of the Communications Capabilities Development programme will be announced once details of the proposals are published.

Dental Services

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether an equality impact assessment has been conducted in relation to the age assessments dental X-ray pilot;
	(2)  whether she obtained approval from the National Ethics Research Service for the age assessments dental X-ray pilot;
	(3)  what steps she plans to take to ensure meaningful consent is obtained from young people involved in the age assessments dental X-ray pilot;
	(4)  what the evidential basis is for the age assessment dental X-ray pilot.

Damian Green: No equality impact assessment has been conducted. The UK Border Agency continues to pay due regard to the equality duty and the trial would be part of the ongoing gathering of evidence that contributes to the agency’s compliance with the duty.
	Discussions have taken place with the National Ethics Research Service (NRES). NRES approval has not yet been formally sought. The NRES has confirmed that it is satisfied that there has been no activity connected to the trial that would have required ethics approval. On this basis, it is satisfied that the Research Governance Framework has not been breached. No X-rays will take place until such time as the agency has received the ethics approval.
	The purpose of the trial would be to help establish whether the existing age assessment process can be improved through scientific means. The intention is that the trial would provide an evidential basis for further consideration of the age assessment process. It is important to emphasise that it would be open only to those who have already been assessed as an adult and only to those who actively choose to take part.
	Once the agency is in a position to go ahead with the trial, there would be a two-stage process to ensure that full informed consent is obtained from individuals who choose to take part in the trial. First, at the point at which the individual notifies UKBA that he/she would like to have a dental X-ray, the caseowner would arrange an appointment with them, including arranging for an interpreter where appropriate. At this meeting, the caseowner would provide the individual with information on the purpose of the X-ray and the risks involved. The purpose of the provision of this information is to help prepare the individual for the dental X-ray. It would not constitute the full informed consent process which would be carried out independently by the dentist.
	Should the individual decide to proceed with the dental X-ray, at the start of their dental appointment they will be provided with further information on the purpose of the dental X-ray and the risks involved. The X-ray will not take place unless the dentist is independently satisfied that the individual is fully informed about the process and that informed consent has been given.
	At any stage of the process, right up until the X-ray is taken, the individual can change their mind and no adverse inference would be drawn from a decision not to take part. The whole process would be entirely voluntary.

Deportation

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had on reviewing the use of a memorandum of understanding as a means of facilitating the deportation of foreign nationals.

Damian Green: Memoranda of understanding (MOU) on migration are used with some countries as an effective and efficient way of managing returns, in particular where we require a valid travel document to be issued by the authorities there. They are negotiated by officials from the UK Border Agency in conjunction with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are reviewed periodically with representatives of the Governments concerned to ensure they continue to support our removals activity.

Deportation: EU Action

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of deportation from the UK were halted by the European Court of Human Rights in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: Where an individual makes an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging their removal, the Court may issue a Rule 39 Interim Measure to postpone removal while it considers the admissibility and/or merits of the case. Statistics published by the ECHR on the use of Rule 39 Interim Measures will be placed in the Library and are available at:
	http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/91C30C84-EFAF-4979-BBD6-C730D6380196/0/Stats_Rule_39_20082011 _RETOUCHE.pdf
	The UK Border Agency is aware that individuals may seek to frustrate their imminent removal or deportation by way of an application to the ECHR and will challenge a negative decision made by the Court. Where appropriate the UK Border Agency takes action specifically to alleviate the Court's concerns, which has in a number of cases resulted in the European Court lifting its Rule 39 Interim Measure.

Deportation: Sri Lanka

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been (a) removed and (b) deported to Sri Lanka on (i) chartered and (ii) scheduled flights (A) in total and (B) in each month since May 2010.

Damian Green: The following table provides the available information on the total number of Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were removed or departed voluntarily from the UK to Sri Lanka in each quarter since May 2010. This data was taken from published statistics which the Home Office publishes on a quarterly and annual basis.
	
		
			 Table rv.03.q: Removals and voluntary departures by country of nationality and type 
			   Asylum cases: 
			 Quarter Total Sri Lankan asylum cases removed Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures Assisted voluntary returns Other voluntary departures 
			 2010 Q2 62 27 21 14 
			 2010 Q3 76 42 27 7 
			 2010 Q4 114 80 24 10 
			 2011 Q1 113 79 27 7 
			 2011 Q2 109 81 25 3 
			 2011 Q3 115 88 27 0 
			 2011 Q4 144 107 29 8 
			 Total 733 504 180 49 
			 Note: Figures include enforced removals, non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed, people departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, people leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by Refugee Action (prior to April 2011 run by the International Organisation for Migration) and people who it has been established left without informing the immigration authorities. 
		
	
	Deportation refers explicitly to the removal of foreign national offenders. Table rv.07.q in the published statistics reports on removals foreign national offenders from 2009 to 2011. However, this information is not broken down by nationality or asylum. The link to the published statistics can be found here
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q4-2011/removals-q4-2011-tabs

Detention Centres: Children

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  for what reason the healthcare and managing non-compliance sections of the operating standards for the Cedars secure pre-departure accommodation have not yet been published;
	(2)  for what reason the Short Term Holding Facility Rules that would apply to the Cedars secure pre-departure accommodation have not yet been published; which rules apply to the operation of the Cedars secure pre-departure accommodation; and whether the Cedars secure pre-departure accommodation may operate without published rules.

Damian Green: The pre-departure accommodation healthcare operating standard was published on the UK Border Agency website in February. The operating standard on managing non-compliance is not yet finalised.
	The Short-term Holding Facility Rules remain under development at present. Cedars pre-departure accommodation will be subject to the rules when they are made but, as was made clear when the facility opened last year, it currently operates in compliance with the published operating standards for pre-departure accommodation. This will continue to be the case when the rules are made as they will provide an over-arching statutory framework for all short-term holding facilities, including pre-departure accommodation, with the detailed operation of the different facilities set out in published operating standards appropriate to the type of facility. In this respect, Cedars pre-departure accommodation is no different to other short-term holding facilities at present.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what route visa regulations provide for a non-EU citizen who is (a) an academic at a foreign university and (b) employed by a foreign company to (i) be paid to teach on a specific week-long university course and (ii) act as a PhD examiner and be paid an honorarium for doing so in the UK.

Damian Green: holding answer 23 April 2012
	A new visitor route for “permitted paid engagements” (PPE) was introduced on 6 April 2012 to provide greater flexibility for non-EU professionals coming to the UK to undertake specific pre-arranged paid activities for up to one month, without requiring a formal sponsor.
	Academics working at an overseas university and/or employed by a foreign company can use this route to give paid lectures in their field of expertise as part of a short university course, as long as this does not constitute a full-time teaching role, and to examine PhD students. They would need to satisfy all the requirements of the PPE visitor route including providing evidence which demonstrates they have been formally invited by a UK higher education institution to carry out the engagement; and that it relates to their area of expertise and/or qualifications and full-time occupation overseas. The PPE visitor route does not replace any of the existing work routes under the points based system, which continue to be the most appropriate for those undertaking employment in the UK.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of applications for leave to remain as a student under Tier 4 of the Points Based System have been completed in under four weeks from the date biometric data is taken in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average time has been (a) between initial submission of an application and an applicant's biometric data being taken, (b) between an applicant's biometric data being taken and notification of the final decision and (c) for processing applications fast-tracked on compassionate grounds.

Damian Green: This information is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
	However, published statistics are available on a quarterly and annual basis, that report on Tier 4 applications received. This publication is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011
	In addition, data relating to the number of decisions made within service standards for financial year 2010-11 and the first two quarters of 2011-12, is available from the UK Border Agency website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/percentage-of-migration

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the proposed cuts to the budget of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on its United Nations A status accreditation as a human rights institution; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: Our assessment is that the proposed budget reductions will have no impact on the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) ‘A' status accreditation. As part of the spending review we announced that we would be reducing the EHRC's budget by over half, from £55 million in 2010-11 to £26.8 million in 2014-15. But it is clear that even after the proposed budget reductions, the EHRC remains well-funded compared to similar bodies across Europe.

European Court of Human Rights

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of deportation from the UK were refused by the European Court of Human Rights in the last 10 years.

Damian Green: The number of removals from the UK refused by the European Court of Human Rights in the last 10 years can be determined only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	Where an individual makes an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging their removal, the Court may issue a Rule 39 Interim Measure to postpone removal while it considers the admissibility and/or merits of the case. Statistics published by the ECHR on the use of Rule 39 Interim Measures will be placed in the Library and are available at:
	http://www.echr.coe.int/NR/rdonlyres/91C30C84-EFAF-4979-BBD6-C730D6380196/0/Stats_Rule_39_20082011_ RETOUCHE.pdf
	The UK Border Agency is aware that individuals may seek to frustrate their imminent removal or deportation by way of an application to the ECHR and will challenge a negative decision made by the Court. Where appropriate the UK Border Agency takes action specifically to alleviate the Court's concerns, which has in a number of cases resulted in the European Court lifting its Rule 39 Interim Measure.

European Union

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on which occasions the UK has requested to participate in activities of the EU agency Frontex under Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004; what the activities were; and whether the UK's request was approved or rejected in each such case.

Damian Green: A document will be placed in the Library detailing the UK's requests to participate in Frontex activities.

Extradition

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many requests for extradition, and to which countries, the UK received (a) in each year between 2004 and 2011 and (b) during 2012 to date;
	(2)  how many people were extradited, and to which countries, from the UK (a) in each year between 2004 and 2011 and (b) during 2012 to date.

Damian Green: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Not all extradition requests lead to the arrest of the subject. As a matter of longstanding policy and practice, we will neither confirm nor deny whether an extradition request has been made or received until such time as a person is arrested in relation to the request, so that people do not have the opportunity to escape justice by leaving the country before they are arrested.
	For that reason, a breakdown of the number of arrests as well as surrenders by country is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 2011 
			 Country Arrests Surrenders 
			 Albania 5 4 
			 Argentina 2  
			 Australia 2 2 
			 Azerbaijan 1 — 
			 Canada — 2 
			 Moldova 1 — 
			 Montenegro 1 — 
			 Norway 1 2 
			 Russian Federation 3 — 
			 Switzerland 1 2 
			 Turkey 6 4 
			 Ukraine 5 — 
			 United Arab Emirates 7 — 
			 USA 12 8 
			 Total 47 24 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 (up to 17 April) 
			 Country Arrests Surrenders 
			 Albania 2 3 
			 Ghana 1  
			 Russian Federation 2  
			 Switzerland 1  
			 Turkey 1 1 
			 United Arab Emirates 1  
			 USA 2 7 
			 Total 10 11 
		
	
	The tables provide non-EU extradition figures for 2011 and for 2012 up until 17 April. Figures from 2004 to July 2011 were published in ‘A Review of the United Kingdom's Extradition Arrangements’ on 18 October 2011 and can be found on pages 464-467.
	The figures relate to requests dealt with under the 2003 Extradition Act. These do not include figures for Scotland. It should also be emphasized that an arrest and/or surrenders made in a particular year may relate to a request made in a previous year.

Extradition: USA

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been extradited from (a) the UK to the US and (b) the US to the UK in each year since 2003.

Damian Green: The following tables provide the figures requested:
	
		
			 Extraditions from the UK to the US 
			 Number 
			  Surrenders under the 1989 Act Surrenders under the 2003 Act 
			 2003 6 n/a 
			 2004 5 3 
			 2005 4 8 
			 2006 3 16 
			 2007 1 8 
			 2008 0 6 
			 2009 0 16 
			 2010 2 10 
			 2011 0 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Extraditions from the US to the UK 
			  Number of surrenders 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 7 
			 2008 10 
			 2009 7 
			 2010 5 
			 2011 5 
		
	
	For the purposes of the question, we have taken the “UK” as meaning England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own US cases, as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.
	It should also be emphasized that an arrest and/or surrenders made in a particular year may relate to a request made in a previous year.

Firearms: Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children and teenagers were killed by guns in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Nick Herbert: Homicide Index data for victims aged under 19 where the principal method of killing was shooting are provided in Table A. Data are provided for each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11. These data do not include cases where a child or teenager was killed by a gun but the incident was not recorded as a homicide.
	Homicides are relatively rare events and the number can fluctuate from year-to-year so these changes need to be interpreted with some caution.
	The data presented are for homicides currently recorded in each year as at 18 October 2011. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts or as further information becomes available.
	
		
			 Table A: Offences currently (1)  recorded as shooting homicide (2)  where the victim was aged 19 or under: England and Wales, 2006-07 to 2010-11 
			  Total 
			 2006-07 12 
			 2007-08 12 
			 2008-09 7 
			 2009-10 3 
			 2010-11 8 
			 (1) As at 18 October 2011; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Includes homicides where the principal method of killing was a firearm or other type of shooting weapon e.g. crossbow or catapult.

Freedom of Information

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Department's response of 22 December 2011 to Freedom of Information request T19647/11, for what reason the Taser statistics for March 2010 to December 2011 have not been published.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The data capture issues referenced in the Freedom of Information response have taken slightly longer to resolve than previously expected. The Home Office intend to publish the police use of Taser statistics at the end of May.

Government’s Procurement Service Training Academy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of her Department will attend the Government’s procurement service training academy.

Damian Green: The Home Office will not decide the number of staff to attend the Government's procurement service training academy until it has been set up.

Homicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2012, Official Report, columns 305-6W, on suicides and homicides, what assessment she has made of the reason for the decline in homicides between 2002 and 2010.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 April 2012
	Homicides are relatively rare events and the number can fluctuate from year to year, so these changes need to be interpreted with some caution. Due to this, a statistical analysis of trends in homicides was published by the Home Office in January 2012. This assessed the extent to which fluctuations in the level of homicides represent an indication of a real change in the underlying trend as opposed to random year-to-year variation.
	The analysis considered homicide incidents, defined as incidents where the same person (or a group of people) is suspected of committing one or more related homicides. For example, the 172 homicides committed by Dr Shipman which were all recorded in 2002-03 were counted as one incident. These offences were not all committed in 2002-03, but all came to light in the official inquiry led by Dame Janet Smith DBE in 2002.
	This analysis indicated that the number of homicide incidents recorded in 2010-11 was statistically significantly lower than the number of incidents recorded in 2002-03. The number recorded in 2010-11 was in fact statistically significantly lower than that recorded in each year from 2000-01 to 2007-08 with the exception of 2005-06.
	The apparent falls in homicides across this period seem to have been largely driven by falls in stranger homicides. These include cases where the relationship of the victim to the principal suspect was either 'stranger' or 'not known'. Since 2003-04 (the year after the recording of the 172 homicides committed by Dr Shipman), these have fallen by more than half, from 287 stranger homicides to 140 currently recorded in 2010-11.
	The data are for homicides currently recorded in each year as at 18 October 2011. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts or as further information becomes available.
	Further information on the statistical homicide analysis can be found in Section 1.6 of ‘Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2010-11' at the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0212/hosb0212?view=Binary

Homicide: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homicides of adolescents involving (a) guns and (b) knives were reported in each year for which data is available; and in each case what proportion these were of total homicides.

Nick Herbert: Homicide index data on offences currently recorded as homicide by method of killing are available for each year from 1977 to 2010-11. Definitions of ‘adolescents’ vary. In this instance, data are provided where the victim was aged 13 to 19. Data for all homicides of victims within this age group are provided in table A, including the number and proportion of which were committed by sharp instrument or shooting.
	Homicides are relatively rare events and the number can fluctuate from year-to-year so these changes need to be interpreted with some caution.
	The data presented are for homicides currently recorded in each year as at 18 October 2011. Figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts or as further information becomes available.
	
		
			 Table A: Offences currently (1)  recorded as homicide where the victim was aged 13 to 19, with the number and proportion of which were committed by sharp instrument or shooting, England and Wales, 1977 to 2010-11 
			   Of which, the principal method used was: 
			  Total Sharp instrument (2) Percentage of total Shooting (3) Percentage of total 
			 1977 35 13 37 2 6 
			 1978 42 17 40 4 10 
			 1979 51 19 37 5 10 
			 1980 42 11 26 1 2 
			 1981 44 16 36 2 5 
			 1982 68 26 38 6 9 
			 1983 48 22 46 4 8 
			 1984 38 20 53 3 8 
			 1985 45 19 42 2 4 
			 1986 63 32 51 4 6 
			 1987 47 18 38 8 17 
			 1988 43 21 49 2 5 
			 1989 45 21 47 4 9 
			 1990 38 11 29 6 16 
			 1991 50 24 48 3 6 
			 1992 44 20 45 3 7 
			 1993 44 18 41 6 14 
			 1994 48 18 38 5 10 
			 1995 44 24 55 — 0 
			 1996 60 23 38 5 8 
			 1997 37 14 38 5 14 
			       
			 1997-98 35 12 34 4 11 
			 1998-99 56 17 30 2 4 
			 1999-2000 56 20 36 3 5 
			 2000-01 65 26 40 4 6 
		
	
	
		
			 2001-02 67 26 39 9 13 
			 2002-03 62 16 26 12 19 
			 2003-04 69 21 30 8 12 
			 2004-05 62 21 34 8 13 
			 2005-06 64 26 41 6 9 
			 2006-07 62 31 50 11 18 
			 2007-08 90 44 49 10 11 
			 2008-09 66 35 53 7 11 
			 2009-10 41 23 56 2 5 
			 2010-11 45 22 49 8 18 
			 (1) As at 18 October 2011; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Includes homicides where the principal method of killing was a knife or other sharp instrument. (3) Includes homicides where the principal method of killing was a firearm or other type of shooting weapon e.g. crossbow or catapult.

Human Rights: Russia

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made representations regarding improving human rights protection in Russia during the course of discussions on rebuilding links between the two countries to tackle serious crime.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 April 2012
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not made any specific representations regarding improving human rights protection in Russia during the course of discussions on rebuilding links between the two countries to tackle serious crime. The FCO has regular discussions with Russia on human rights issues, including through their Annual Human Rights Dialogue. The Prime Minister also raised human rights issues with President Medvedev during his visit to Moscow in September 2011.

Human Trafficking: Asylum

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was for the conclusion of asylum applications of victims of human trafficking in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The requested data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average asylum case conclusion timings for Victims of Trafficking, 2009 -2011 
			 Year of conclusion Number of cases Average days 
			 2009 12 163 
			 2010 60 234 
			 2011 59 350 
			 Total 131 280 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks. 2. Data relates to 1(st) time asylum applications and main applicants only. 3. Average days refers to calendar days.

Immigration

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time is for security checks undertaken by the Case Assurance and Audit Unit before granting leave to remain.

Damian Green: Security checks are specific to individuals and depending on results further inquiries may be required. Due to the importance of such checks and any subsequent issues that may require investigation, an average waiting time is not held.

Immigration

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if (a) she and (b) the Minister for Immigration will visit the UK Border Agency website and test themselves against the Life in the UK or knowledge of language test.

Damian Green: There is no test on the UK Border Agency (UKBA) website. The Life in the UK test is administered for UKBA by UfI (university for Industry) and can be taken only at one of their test centres.
	Neither I nor the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) have any plans to sit the test at the current time. However, we are aware of the content, which is why we are currently reviewing the test to put British culture and history at its heart.

Immigration: Leicestershire

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Leicestershire had a UK residence permit at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Damian Green: County level data are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
	However, the UK Border Agency publishes statistics on a quarterly and annual basis that cover all applications to the UK Border Agency broken down by application type. Published statistics regarding these applications can be found at the following location:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q4-2011/

Internet

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with internet service providers on the monitoring of their customers' internet browsing activity.

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of national and international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Ivan Cherkasov

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information regarding the home address of Ivan Cherkasov have been made by the Russian authorities since 1 January 2009; what information was disclosed in response to such requests; and what the reasons were for any such disclosures.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 April 2012
	A request from the Russian authorities for information in relation to a Russian criminal investigation would normally be made either as a formal request to the Home Office for mutual legal assistance (MLA) or to SOCA in its capacity as the UK National Central Bureau for Interpol. It is the usual policy neither to confirm nor deny whether the UK authorities have received such requests or provided any information in response to such requests.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Office including its executive agencies spent £38,294,545 on fees for legal work in 2010-11.
	The Government Equalities Office (GEO) joined the Home Office under machinery of government changes in April 2011. GEO spend on fees for legal work in 2010-11 was £975,000.
	The Home Office including its executive agencies spent £54,530,628 on fees for legal work in 2011-12.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 26 March 2012, ref: M1309525 / CTS ref: M5289/12; and what the reasons are for the time taken to respond.

Damian Green: Correspondence submitted by Members of Parliament to the UK Border Agency is dealt with in target date order. The response issued under M5289/12 was completed on the specified target date of 25 April and dispatched by post on 26 April.

Metropolitan Police: Expenditure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much the Metropolitan Police spent on first-class train tickets in 2011-12; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much the Metropolitan Police spent on hotels in 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: This is not a matter for the Home Office.

Official Secrets

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any person employed by (a) her Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by her Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act.

Damian Green: All persons employed by the Home Office and any private firms contracted by the Department are bound by the Official Secrets Act. Agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Home Office is responsible will only be bound in particular circumstances of the body in question.

Passports

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that any passport confiscated by door security staff in the nighttime economy does not enter the criminal passport market; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK passport is one of the most secure documents of its kind utilising a combination of physical and electronic security features. Since 2006 individuals have been biometrically linked to their passports through the photograph contained in an electronic chip embedded in the document. The chip cannot be altered without Border Control officers becoming aware that the passport has been tampered with. UK passports also have a range of physical security measures designed to prevent forgery and tampering. These measures are continuously assessed and attempted frauds and forgeries analysed to ensure that security is maintained and to identify opportunities for further strengthening of the passport and passport issuing process.
	The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has a database of passports reported lost and stolen and of passports which have been recovered by third parties and returned to the agency. All passports reported lost or stolen are automatically cancelled on IPS systems and their details added to the database. IPS provides data relating to lost and stolen passports to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the UK Border Agency on a daily basis.
	All passports returned to IPS by third parties are automatically cancelled and destroyed.

Police Custody

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it a requirement that custody officers at police stations are given training in identifying (a) acquired brain injuries, (b) autism and (c) strokes in people arrested in the belief they are under the influence of drink or drugs; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 April 2012
	Training for police officers on the recognition of symptoms of brain injuries and strokes is already included within the First Aid Skills—Custody module of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Police First Aid Learning Programme.
	Guidance in relation to autism is provided by the joint ACPO and Department of Health document ‘Responding to People with Mental Health or Learning Disabilities’.
	Additional information on the appropriate care of detainees is provided by the ACPO Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody (Second Edition) and in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice C.

Police: Autism

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what training police officers receive in dealing with people with autism;
	(2)  how many complaints her Department has received on police handling of suspects with autism.

Nick Herbert: On joining the police service, all officers undertake a two-year initial Police Learning and Development Programme. Within this programme, police officers and police community support officers are provided with training in dealing with people who are vulnerable through disability, mental ill health or learning disabilities.
	The Home Office does not collect information on complaints about police handling of suspects with autism.

Police: First Aid

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what level of competence in first aid forms part of the training of those joining the police;
	(2)  what requirement there is for police officers at all levels to have a recognised competence in first aid; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 April 2012
	All officers must complete and refresh first aid training annually. The initial learning curriculum that all new police officers have to undertake covers first aid training (Emergency First Aider at Work), to the standard defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
	This training is the minimum level of first aid required by all police officers and operational support staff that have direct contact with the public. There is no requirement to formally assess officers completing the programme but assessment does take place.

Police: Manpower

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scene of crime officers were employed by each police force in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.

Nick Herbert: The latest available information shows the number of scenes of crime police officers and staff within each police force in England and Wales from 2008 to 2011 and is given on Tables 1 and 2 respectively.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of scenes of crime police officers within each police force in England and Wales, 31 March 2008 to 2011 (1,2,3) 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 1 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 9 7 7 8 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10 12 8 5 
			 Dorset 2 1 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5 4 2 5 
			 Essex 45 42 44 45 
			 Gloucestershire 7 9 5 8 
			 Greater Manchester 3 3 3 2 
			 Gwent 9 9 8 6 
			 Hampshire 33 32 31 24 
			 Hertfordshire 5 8 6 3 
			 Humberside 5 4 4 5 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 2 1 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 
			 London, City of 5 5 6 6 
			 Merseyside 3 2 2 2 
			 Metropolitan police 40 39 53 49 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 18 10 5 3 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 1 1 
			 South Wales 37 21 8 8 
			 South Yorkshire 9 7 5 3 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 4 5 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 2 1 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 2 1 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 1 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 4 3 1 14 
			 West Yorkshire 0 7 8 7 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3) Definition of the scenes of crime function: Staff who are predominantly employed in providing scientific support including scenes of crime officers, their supervisors and those engaged in administrative duties relating thereto. It does not include officers who are predominantly employed in connection with fingerprints and photographs. It includes officers in supporting roles. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of scenes of crime police staff within each police force in England and Wales, 31 March 2008 to 2011 (1,2,3,4) 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Avon and Somerset 95 90 85 83 
			 Bedfordshire 37 38 35 40 
			 Cambridgeshire 34 39 36 33 
			 Cheshire 41 54 51 57 
			 Cleveland 33 31 29 30 
			 Cumbria 26 28 26 26 
			 Derbyshire 66 88 81 73 
			 Devon and Cornwall 63 57 53 46 
			 Dorset 9 36 39 38 
			 Durham 36 36 36 34 
			 Dyfed-Powys 10 10 10 19 
			 Essex 24 25 27 41 
			 Gloucestershire 32 28 28 30 
			 Greater Manchester 145 219 207 199 
			 Gwent 29 29 43 38 
			 Hampshire 62 59 57 52 
			 Hertfordshire 0 72 69 75 
			 Humberside 48 43 45 47 
			 Kent 91 97 94 92 
			 Lancashire 76 72 76 74 
			 Leicestershire 44 52 59 46 
			 Lincolnshire 28 29 30 30 
			 London, City of 9 9 2 3 
			 Merseyside 87 82 84 83 
			 Metropolitan police 715 811 794 870 
			 Norfolk 39 34 36 32 
			 Northamptonshire 41 43 44 42 
			 Northumbria 47 56 75 63 
			 North Wales 32 36 36 34 
			 North Yorkshire 39 40 36 40 
			 Nottinghamshire 52 51 51 48 
			 South Wales 39 54 63 67 
			 South Yorkshire 67 67 68 59 
			 Staffordshire 46 47 57 56 
			 Suffolk 23 21 22 22 
			 Surrey 52 47 47 47 
			 Sussex 63 73 64 59 
			 Thames Valley 92 92 89 85 
			 Warwickshire 22 18 23 20 
			 West Mercia 56 59 63 63 
			 West Midlands 115 138 142 143 
			 West Yorkshire 141 152 152 133 
			 Wiltshire 26 27 24 25 
			 (1) Police staff includes s.36 Police Staff and Designated officers (investigation, detention and escort). Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. (3) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (4) Definition of the scenes of crime function: Staff who are predominantly employed in providing scientific support including scenes of crime officers, their supervisors and those engaged in administrative duties relating thereto. It does not include officers who are predominantly employed in connection with fingerprints and photographs. It includes officers in supporting roles.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of her Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Table 1 includes numbers for staff retiring at pensionable age and staff taking early retirement from the Home Office in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 Table 1 (1) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 (a) Staff retiring at pensionable age(2) 250 129 
			 (b) Staff leaving on early retirement grounds(3) 512 30 
			 (1 )Figures given are based on paid civil servants and include those who left the Home Office during the period, in line with Office for National Statistics guidelines. Figures include Home Office headquarters, the United Kingdom Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau. All figures provided in line with the civil service compensation scheme which states: (2 )“Retirees” are those who retire at pensionable age under the terms of their pension scheme. (3 )“Early retirees” are those staff who retire on terms other than pensionable age. Notes: 1. 1 April 2011 (figures based on period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011). 2. 1 April 2012 (figures based on period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012).

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Moscow

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had on re-establishing a Moscow bureau of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 April 2012
	Discussions have taken place between British officials and appropriate Russian law enforcement authorities about re-establishing the Serious Organised Crime Agency office in Moscow to cover areas of mutual concern in relation to organised crime.

Theft: Metals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) consultation and (b) economic impact assessment has taken place on her plans to ban cash payments for scrap metal.

James Brokenshire: The Government's impact assessment of banning cash payments for scrap metal is published on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/legislation/bills-acts/legal-aid-sentencing/laspo-metal-theft-ia.pdf
	Section A.3 of this document provides details of the consultation that took place.

Theft: Metals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) economic impact on legitimate traders of (i) banning cash payments for scrap metal, (ii) the introduction of mandatory verification of identity by sellers and (iii) the introduction of a register of legitimate merchants.

James Brokenshire: The options considered by the Government in relation to tackling metal theft, including banning cash payments, are contained within the impact assessment published on the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/legislation/bills-acts/legal-aid-sentencing/laspo-metal-theft-ia.pdf

Travel Restrictions: Russia

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has had discussions with the Russian authorities on the safety of UK-based employees of Hermitage Capital Management; and what concerns were discussed.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 April 2012
	The Home Office has had no such discussions.

Travel Restrictions: Russia

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information on UK-based employees of Hermitage Capital Management the Russian authorities have requested from the UK since 1 January 2009; what information was disclosed in response to each such request; and what the reasons were for any such disclosures.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 19 April 2012
	A request from the Russian authorities for information in relation to a Russian criminal investigation would normally be made either as a formal request to the Home Office for mutual legal assistance (MLA) or to SOCA in its capacity as the UK National Central Bureau for Interpol. It is the usual policy neither to confirm nor deny whether the UK authorities have received such requests or provided any information in response to such requests.

UK Border Agency

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving (a) UK Border Agency and (b) UK Border Force officers have been charged with criminal offences in the last year.

Damian Green: Staff are required to notify the Department if they are charged with criminal offences and our records show that one member of UK Border Agency staff has been charged in the last year.

UK Border Agency

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving (a) UK Border Agency and (b) UK Border Force officers have been sacked or suspended from duty on national security grounds in the last year.

Damian Green: No serving UK Border Agency staff or UK Border Officers had been suspended or dismissed on national security grounds in the last year.

UK Border Agency: Complaints

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by the UK Border Agency from passengers arriving at UK airports about the length of the queues they experienced in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: It is not possible to provide a separate figure on the number of complaints from passengers about the length of the queues they experienced in each year without a manual examination of each individual case file. This would incur a disproportionate cost.

UK Border Agency: Terrorism

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving (a) UK Border Agency officers and (b) UK Border Force officers have been charged with offences related to terrorism.

Damian Green: There is no record of UK Border Agency staff or Border Force officers being internally investigated, disciplined or charged for offences related to terrorism.

UK Border Agency: Morale

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Vine report on border security checks, what assessment she has made of the level of morale of frontline staff based at UK borders.

Damian Green: An annual staff survey is commissioned and undertaken each autumn which systematically assess the level of morale. The new interim director general of Border Force, Brian Moore, is currently meeting frontline staff across the UK and they will be given an opportunity to raise any issues directly with him.

Young Offenders

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases young people who were age assessed as aged over 18 years were later determined to be under 18 years old in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: Information about individuals assessed as being over 18 and later determined to be 18 or under is recorded in the individual case notes and it is not possible to extract this information without examining the database case record of each individual asylum applicant. This information would therefore be available only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum is published quarterly on the Home Office website (Migrations and Asylum, Research, and Statistics Publications) at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011/

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Greater London Authority

Jane Ellison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the change in the Greater London authority precept on council tax bills since the establishment of the authority.

Eric Pickles: The Greater London authority precept appearing on council tax bills increased year on year between 2000-01 and 2008-09 and more than doubled over that period. The precept was then frozen in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 and has been reduced by 1% in the current year to stand at £306.72.

Council Tax

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which non-metropolitan county council has the lowest council tax in England.

Eric Pickles: Somerset has the lowest council tax; however, a separate fire precept is charged on top. Northamptonshire county council is the second lowest, and provides fire services within its county precept. It could thus be argued that Northamptonshire taxpayers enjoy the lowest council tax of all the counties.

Right to Buy

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to promote the take-up of the right to buy.

Grant Shapps: On 2 April we increased the maximum discount cap for tenants to £75,000 across England. I encourage hon. Members to help publicise the Right to Buy to their hard working council tenants and particularly recommend tweeting and ‘liking’ the page:
	www.facebook.com/righttobuy

Unauthorised Development

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to increase the powers of local authorities to tackle unauthorised development.

Eric Pickles: The Localism Act has given councils more powers to tackle unauthorised development, including the abuse of retrospective planning permission. These powers are now in effect. Councils also have new powers under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act to use bye-laws to remove unauthorised encampments. We are reviewing what further steps can be taken to increase council powers to tackle unauthorised development and occupation.

Mayoral Referendums

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department has given to local authorities to raise awareness of mayoral referendums on 3 May.

Greg Clark: Local returning officers are responsible for making electors aware of the referenda taking place on Thursday. Since we made clear that the Government would fund the costs of administering the referendums, we have agreed to reimburse the costs of a leaflet for all households setting out neutrally the choice before voters.

Low-cost Housing

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the role of the private rented sector in the provision of low-cost housing.

Andrew Stunell: The private rented sector has an important role in housing a wide range of households. The English Housing Survey published by my Department in July 2010 shows that some 24% of households living in the private rented sector are in receipt of housing benefit.
	The independent review that we have commissioned from Sir Adrian Montague is exploring how we can increase building of new homes specifically for rent.

Architecture: Registration

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much architects were charged to register with the Architects Registration Board in each year since 2000.

Andrew Stunell: The Architects Registration Board charges a fee to join or re-join the register of architects, and subsequent to being accepted onto the register charges an annual retention fee. Retention fee charges since 2000 are as follow:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2000 55.00 
			 2001 55.00 
			 2002 55.00 
			 2003 65.00 
			 2004 70.00 
			 2005 74.50 
			 2006 76.50 
			 2007 78.00 
			 2008 78.00 
			 2009 86.00 
			 2010 86.00 
			 2011 80.00 
			 2012 80.00 
		
	
	Charges for initial registration (excluding exceptional cases) were the same as the retention fee (with a pro-rata element for new registrants) until 2011 when fees were restructured to include an application fee element. Details of these fees can be found at:
	http://www.arb.org.uk/registration/maintaining_registration/retention_and_other_fees/other_fees.php

Betting Shops

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on betting shops from (a) local authority leaders, (b) the Mayor of London and (c) the Metropolitan police in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 56W. Our records show that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has not received any letters from the Metropolitan police.

Council Tax: Pensioners

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the cost of introducing an exemption to empty property rates for properties owned by pensioners.

Bob Neill: No assessment has been made; business rates bills are based on the valuation of the hereditament, and information is not collected on the age of the property owner.
	On the broader issue of empty property, I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 13 December 2010, Official Report, columns 61-62WS.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 48 of the Valuation Office Agency's Annual Report 2010-11, HC 1156, on what date the Agency decommissioned its Automated Valuation Model council tax database.

Bob Neill: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model technology was developed under the last Administration to provide an estimate of a dwelling's value in preparation for a council tax revaluation in England.
	As outlined in the written statement of 11 October 2010, Official Report, column 1WS, Ministers announced in September 2010 that the coalition Government would not carry out a council tax revaluation in England during the lifetime of this Parliament.
	The initial decision referred to in Valuation Office Agency's Annual Report and Accounts to cease to utilise it for any council tax revaluation work was taken in late 2010. As a consequence, specific work to investigate and validate sales evidence and calibrate sales models stopped. This was completed early in 2011.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 October 2010, Official Report, column 1WS, on the cancelling of a council tax revaluation, what (a) dwellinghouse codes and (b) value significant codes the Valuation Office Agency has ceased collecting since May 2010.

Bob Neill: holding answer 19 March 2012
	As outlined in the written statement of 11 October 2010, Official Report, column 1WS, the Government confirmed in September 2010 that it would not carry out a council tax revaluation in England during the lifetime of this Parliament. Ministers also stated they wish to review the proportionality of the collection of property information on people's homes.
	During late 2010, the Valuation Office Agency analysed whether less information could be collected without affecting the accuracy of banding decisions and the existing council tax lists (for example, there is an ongoing need for new build properties to be banded for council tax). This review of property attribute information established that there was scope for consolidation and for the cessation of a significant number of codes.
	Since April 2011, the number of codes termed ‘Dwellinghouse Codes' has been reduced from 16 to 14, and the number of 'Value Significant Codes' has been consolidated and reduced from nearly 70 to around 20.
	I have placed in the Library a table outlining the consolidated and reduced codes. It shows how the Agency has ceased to collect property attribute codes on outbuildings, shared drives, quiet roads and cul-de-sacs, proximity to public transport, detailed information on scenic views, gardens and patios.

Empty Property

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to promote the refurbishment of empty and vacant homes.

Andrew Stunell: We have committed £150 million to bring empty homes back into use.
	Last month we announced £70 million of funding for 95 local projects which will bring over 5,600 homes back into use as affordable housing. This is part of our wider approach to bringing empty homes back into use, set out in the Government's Housing Strategy for England.

Fires

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to minimise the risk of fire to (a) elderly and (b) disabled people.

Bob Neill: Working smoke alarm ownership remains at the heart of our efforts to reduce accidental fire deaths and injuries in the home. Fire and Rescue Authorities are best placed to use their local knowledge and understanding of risks to consider, in partnership with other agencies, how best to deliver improved fire safety outcomes and help to protect the vulnerable from the dangers of fire.
	During 2012-13, we will continue to support Fire and Rescue Authorities to promote the key message to householders of having a working smoke alarm in their home, through the Fire Kills media campaign.

Fires

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will commission an impact assessment of (a) the effectiveness of the installation of sprinkler systems in homes in reducing deaths from fire and (b) the cost-effectiveness of retrofitting automatic sprinklers in all social housing.

Bob Neill: A Government funded study looking at the effectiveness of sprinklers in homes was published in 2005. We have no plans to commission any further work in this respect.

First-time Buyers: Worcestershire

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of house purchases by first time buyers in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: The Department publishes statistics on the number of property transactions in each local authority in England based on data reported to the Land Registry, see live table 588 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housingmarket/livetables/housepricestables/localhousepricetables/
	This data does not record the type of purchaser.

Gambling

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings (a) he and (b) representatives of his Department have had with employees of (i) William Hill, (ii) Ladbrokes, (iii) Paddy Power, (iv) Betfred, (v) Joe Jennings and (vi) representatives of gambling sector trade bodies since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has not had any meetings with either the companies mentioned or representatives of gambling sector trade bodies. Since May 2010, officials have met twice with the Association of British Bookmakers as part of roundtable evidence gathering discussions with regards to the wider review of how change of use is managed in the planning system.
	As I outlined in my answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 56W, my Department has received representations from a wide range of organisations on change of use, and all representations will be taken into account.

Land: Planning Permission

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the area of English land not covered by an adopted local plan.

Greg Clark: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave today, to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr Turner).

Legionnaires’ Disease

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has earmarked any regulations for removal under the Government's one-in, one-out policy following the introduction of regulations for residential landlords covering the prevention of legionella and Legionnaire's disease.

Andrew Stunell: No new regulations have been introduced in relation to legionella since the Health and Safety Executive's Approved Code of Practice and Guidance “Legionnaires' disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems”, was revised in 2000.
	Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords are responsible for maintaining heating and hot water installations in residential property.

Local Government Finance

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average per capita grant allocated was in local government grants from central Government funds in England in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the average per capita grant in 2011-12.

Bob Neill: The following table shows local authority income from government grants per head and local authority revenue expenditure per head in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 (outturn) and 2011-12 (budget).
	
		
			 £ per head 
			  Local authority income from government grants Local authority revenue expenditure 
			 2008-09 1,428 1,906 
			 2009-10 1,491 1,993 
			 2010-11 1,517 1,997 
			 2011-12(1) 1,412 1,935 
			 (1 )Budget. Source: Department for Communities and Local Government revenue outturn (RO) returns for 2008-09 to 2010-11, and revenue account budget (RA) returns for 2011-12. 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates), specific grants inside aggregate external finance (i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services), area based grant, local services support grant, and police grant.
	Revenue expenditure is equal to total net current expenditure plus capital financing costs and a few minor adjustments, but excludes expenditure financed by grants outside aggregate external finance. Revenue expenditure is financed by grants inside aggregate external finance, council tax and authorities’ reserves.

Local Government Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to update local authority population figures before the 2013-14 local government financial settlement.

Bob Neill: We intend to update all datasets for use in the calculation of the 2013-14 business rates retention baseline, where updates are available. This includes the population figures. We plan to use the best available data at the time decisions need to be made in the autumn.

Local Government Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will use the Office for National Statistics provisional mid-year population estimates published in 2011 when assessing local authority baselines in respect of the 2013-14 local government settlement.

Bob Neill: We intend to update all datasets for use in the calculation of the 2013-14 business rates retention baseline, where updates are available. This includes the population figures.
	We do not intend to use the indicative 2010 mid-year population estimates, published by ONS in November 2011.
	Instead we plan to consult on whether to use either the 2011 mid-year estimates or the census-based population projections in calculating the baseline, subject to them being available in the autumn when decisions need to be made.

Local Government: Pay

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has (a) made to and (b) received from local authorities in respect of local authority staff salaries.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), receives representations from local authorities on a range of matters. The determination of local government salaries is a matter for local government. However, the coalition Government has taken a series of steps to increase transparency and accountability of local decisions about pay.
	Provisions introduced in the Localism Act 2011 require councils to prepare and publish statements of their policies on a range of matters on pay and reward, particularly senior pay. Such statements must be published every year, beginning with 2012-13. The Act requires elected councillors to vote on such pay statements in the full glare of public scrutiny.
	The new local government Transparency Code, which came into effect in September 2011, opens up middle and senior pay to greater scrutiny, with pro-active publication of such information.
	The Secretary of State has recently welcomed a report by the Taxpayers' Alliance (the "Town Hall Rich List") which outlines the significant scope to save taxpayers' money by reforming senior pay deals.

Meetings

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had any meetings with (i) Simon Hoare, (ii) CGMS, (iii) Freshwater UK, (iv) Intermodality LLP, (v) BNP Paribas Real Estate, (vi) Helio Europe and (vii) Bircham Dyson Bell LLP since May 2010; and whether he has received any recent representations from each such individual or organisation since May 2010.

Bob Neill: Details of meetings held by DCLG Ministers between May 2010 and October 2011 are available on our website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparency ingovernment/ministerialdata/
	Details of meetings held after October 2011 will be published in due course. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has held no discussions about the proposed Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Interchange.
	A list of the representations received about the Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Interchange planning since May 2010 will be published when the Secretary of State issues his decision on the appeal.
	A number of officials within the Planning Directorate have met with Bircham Dyson Bell to discuss the major infrastructure planning regime. There has not been any discussions on specific planning cases.
	The work involved in establishing whether the Department has had any meetings with or representations from all these organisations would incur disproportionate costs.

Official Secrets

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any person employed by (a) his Department, (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible and (c) any private firms contracted by his Department is bound by any part of the Official Secrets Act.

Bob Neill: All Crown servants and government contractors (as defined by sections 12(1) and 12(2) of the Official Secrets Act 1989) are subject to the requirements of the Official Secrets Act. Upon entering the Department, all staff are made aware that they are bound by the terms of the Official Secrets Act and that their actions resulting in unauthorised disclosure of official information may result in legal proceedings being taken against them.

Planning

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what progress each planning authority has made towards the Core Strategy; and how many housing units have been agreed;
	(2)  in respect of each planning authority, what progress has been made with producing its core strategy; within each such strategy, how many units of housing are envisaged; how much land will be available for industrial use; and, in cases where the strategy has not been finalised, what provisional conclusions have been reached.

Greg Clark: Every council has some form of plan in place, but at different stages of preparation reflecting the excessively bureaucratic system that this Government inherited from the last Administration. As of 31 March, 132 local authorities now have an adopted plan prepared under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A further 67 local authorities have published a draft plan for consultation, and another 40 have submitted their plan for examination in public but have yet to formally adopt it. The remainder of councils have “saved” planning policies in place which form the local plan for the area, until they are replaced by updated plans. Councils in the process of updating their plans can give due weight to the policies in those emerging plans according to the stage of preparation they have reached.
	In terms of how many housing units have been agreed, how much land will be available for industrial use, and where the strategy has not been finalised, what provisional conclusions have been reached, the Government does not gather this information centrally as the content of local plans is a local matter. Local plans are available for public inspection, both for consultation purposes during their preparation, and once published in their final adopted form. Local councils are required under planning law to prepare monitoring reports which include progress they have made in preparing and delivering their local plans.

Planning Permission

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his timetable is for the ratification by Parliament of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: The National Planning Policy Framework was published on 27 March 2012 and was the subject of debate in the House on 24 and 26 April 2012.

Planning Permission: Fees and Charges

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's consultation document of November 2010, what plans he has to introduce local fee setting for planning applications; and what his projected timetable is for laying before Parliament any secondary legislation that may be required;
	(2)  what his policy is on national fees for planning applications for 2012-13; whether any such fees will be index-linked for inflation; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether his Department plans to conduct annual reviews of the amount charged as part of national fees regulations in planning applications.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 March 2012, Official Report, column 833W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood).

Planning Permission: Green Belt

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  in what order green belt protections will be applied under the National Planning Policy Framework;
	(2)  whether the protection core principle in paragraph 17 of the National Planning Policy Framework and the new building construction policy in paragraph 89 will be applied before paragraph 55 in green belt protection cases;
	(3)  whether paragraph 55 of the National Planning Policy Framework permits new developments on the green belt; and under what circumstances.

Greg Clark: The policies in paragraphs 18 to 219 of the National Planning Policy Framework, taken as a whole, constitute the Government's view of what sustainable development in England means in practice for the planning system. The core planning principles set out at paragraph 17 should underpin both plan-making and decision-taking.
	The framework maintains strong protection for the green belt. The policies set out in paragraphs 79 to 92 on protecting green belt land continue the previous policy that inappropriate development should not be approved except in very special circumstances, and that substantial weight should be given to any harm to the green belt. These policies apply to plan-making and to any development proposal that would impact on the green belt.
	Planning law requires that applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The weight to be given to national policy, along with any other material considerations, is a matter for the decision-taker. It will be up to the decision-taker in each case to apply the relevant national policies appropriately to the facts of that case (including for example where relevant the policy on avoiding isolated homes in the countryside set out at paragraph 55).

Procurement

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 119W, on departmental procurement, if he will place in the Library a breakdown by (a) date, (b) supplier, (c) merchant type and (d) amount for each transaction for the £52,078.16 of spending on the Government Procurement Card/company Barclaycard.

Bob Neill: This expenditure related to spending on the Government Procurement Card undertaken by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office which existed as a separate Department from May 2006 until May 2007. With the passage of time my Department is no longer able to provide a full breakdown for the figure of £52,078.16.
	However, using existing records held by the Department we have been able to reconstruct some of the transactions undertaken by that Department totalling £38,722.17
	This information has now been deposited in the Library of the House. No further records, including invoices, are now available.

Procurement: Questionnaires

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made on developing a scheme to streamline the pre-qualification questionnaire process for contracts worth over £100,000.

Bob Neill: My Department has eliminated all pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements under the European Procurement Threshold.
	Above this threshold, we have adopted a range of measures to streamline the questionnaires process. This includes trialling the increased use of open procedure procurements and designing a shorter and simplified supplier selection information sheet. Many bidding organisations as a result merely have to indicate that they can provide supporting documentation to satisfy technical and economic criteria, if they are successful in their bid. Rather than having to provide it in full each time they submit a pre-qualification questionnaire.
	We have the support of the Cabinet Office for this pilot.

Railways: Radlett

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had any discussions on (i) the Helioslough Radlett rail freight exchange proposal and (ii) other rail freight issues since May 2010; and whether they have received any representations on these issues since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) has held no discussions about the proposed Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, although I refer my hon. Friend to the reply of the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers) of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-48W.
	A list of the representations received about the Radlett proposal since May 2010 will be published when the Secretary of State issues his decision on the appeal.

Rescue Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect of funding reductions on the operational activities of fire and rescue services.

Bob Neill: Operational matters are best assessed at the local level. It is for each fire and rescue authority to determine the operational activities of their fire and rescue service through an Integrated Risk Management Plan subject to consultation with their local community.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my letter of 6 December 2010 to the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, which outlines how fire and rescue authorities can make sensible savings without impacting on the quality and breadth of services offered to their communities.

Social Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to encourage (a) local authorities, (b) registered social landlords and (c) private landlords to install residual current devices in their properties.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The housing health and safety rating system is a risk-based evaluation tool to help local authorities identify and protect against potential risks and hazards to health and safety from any deficiencies identified in dwellings. It was introduced under the Housing Act 2004 and came into effect on 6 April 2006 and applies to all residential properties in England.
	While not a legal requirement, the rating system operating guidance states that if electrical equipment operating at 230 volts or higher is used, a residual current device can provide additional safety.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he is making in bringing into force the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 regulations.

Greg Clark: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of today, to the hon. Member for Meon Valley (George Hollingbery).

Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Act 2010

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to lay before Parliament regulations under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Act 2010.

Greg Clark: We are discussing the final draft regulations with key partners and we intend to lay them in Parliament shortly.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Traveller sites on average local authorities in (a) England and (b) Lancashire provided in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Stunell: The bi-annual Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans lists the public Traveller sites (sites provided by local authorities and other registered providers) in each local authority area in England. The latest count for which figures are available was undertaken in July 2011 and shows that across the 326 local authorities in England there are 319 public Traveller sites and across Lancashire's 12 local authorities there are three.
	Around 35% of the caravans counted in the July 2011 Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans were on public Traveller sites, while around 43% were on authorised private Traveller sites.
	Published statistics from the Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans can be viewed on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/caravancountjul2011
	The results of the January 2012 count are due to be published on the Department's website on 31 May.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer Question 104663 on risk assessment.

Bob Neill: holding answer 26 April 2012
	Question 104663 was answered on 26 April 2012, Official Report, column 993W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer Question 104978, on the Local Authority Pension Scheme.

Bob Neill: Question 104978 was answered on 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 886W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) Government Ministers, (b) Ministers from devolved Governments, (c) Members of the UK Parliament, (d) Members of the Scottish Parliament, (e) Members of the Northern Irish Legislative Assembly and (f) Assembly Members of the Welsh Assembly have made a visit to Afghanistan organised by his Department since the beginning of Operation Herrick; when each such visit took place; and what the duration of each such visit was.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 18 April 2012
	Records only exist from October 2009, and may not be comprehensive. The Ministry of Defence is aware of the following visits:
	
		
			 Dates Purpose of visit Names of all Ministers, MPs, MEPs or MHKs in visit group 
			 2009   
			 3-4 October  Bob Ainsworth MP (Minister) 
			   Alan Johnson MP (Minister) 
			    
			 3-5 December  David Cameron MP 
			    
			 7-10 December  Bob Ainsworth MP (Minister) 
			    
			 2010   
			 6-8 January  William Hague MP 
			   George Osborne MP 
			    
			 18-21 January House of Commons Defence Committee James Arbuthnot MP 
			   Linda Gilroy MP 
			   Dai Havard MP 
			   Adam Holloway MP 
			   Bernard Jenkin MP 
			   Madeleine Moon MP 
			   Richard Younger-Ross MP 
			    
			 31 January-2 February  Bill Rammell MP (Minister) 
			   Quentin Davies MP (Minister) 
			    
			 15-18 January Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme Earl Shrewsbury (House of Lords) 
			   Mike Penning MP 
			   Ian Liddell-Grainger MP 
			   Frank Cook MP 
			   Gerald Howarth MP 
			   Philip Hollobone MP 
			   James Gray MP 
			   Andrew George MP 
			   Martyn Jones MP 
			    
			 7-9 March  Bob Ainsworth MP (Minister) 
			   Douglas Alexander MP (Minister) 
			    
			 21-23 May  Dr Liam Fox MP (Minister) 
			   William Hague MP (Minister) 
			   Andrew Mitchell MP (Minister) 
			    
			 10-11 June  David Cameron MP (Prime Minister) 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 13-15 June  Nick Harvey MP (Minister) 
			    
			 6-8 July  Peter Luff MP (Minister) 
			   Gerald Howarth MP (Minister) 
			    
			 18-20 July  William Hague MP (Minister) 
			   Andrew Mitchell MP (Minister) 
			    
			 9-11 August  Dr Liam Fox MP (Minister) 
			    
			 25-28 October Foreign Affairs Committee Richard Ottaway MP 
			   Mike Gapes MP 
			   Andrew Rosindell MP 
			   Frank Roy MP 
			   John Stanley MP 
			   Rory Stewart MP 
			   Dave Watts MP 
			    
			 27-29 October  Andrew Robathan MP (Minister) 
			    
			 13-14 November  Dr Liam Fox MP (Minister) 
			    
			 6-8 December  David Cameron MP (Prime Minister) 
			    
			 3-6 January  Dr Liam Fox MP (Minister) 
			   Alistair Burt MP (Minister) 
			    
			 2011   
			 17-20 January House of Commons Defence Committee James Arbuthnot MP 
			   Dai Havard MP 
			   Jeffrey Donaldson MP 
			   John Glen MP 
			   Madeleine Moon MP 
			   Penny Mordaunt MP 
			   Sandra Osborne MP 
			   Bob Stewart MP 
			   Gisela Stuart MP 
			    
			 27-30 January  Ed Miliband MP 
			   Douglas Alexander MP 
			   Jim Murphy MP 
			    
			 10-13 February  Gerald Howarth MP (Minister) 
			    
			 20-22 February  Nick Harvey MP (Minister) 
			    
			 12-15 March  Andrew Mitchell MP (Minister) 
			    
			 15-18 March MP and Peer visit Lord Eames 
			   Lord Maginnis of Drumglass 
			   Jim Shannon MP 
			   Bob Russell MP 
			   Michael Moore MP (Minister) 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 14-17 June  Dr Liam Fox MP (Minister) 
			    
			 20-24 June  William Hague MP (Minister) 
			    
			 4-7 September  Alistair Burt MP (Minister) 
			    
			 29-30 October  Andrew Mitchell MP (Minister) 
			    
			 10-12 November  Philip Hammond MP (Minister) 
			    
			 18-21 November MP and Peer visit and Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme Stephen Gilbert MP 
			   Mark Hunter MP 
			   Julian Huppert MP 
			   Jo Swinson MP 
			   Rosie Winterton MP 
			   Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon 
			   Lord Davies of Stamford 
			   Lord Gilbert 
			   Lord Ribeiro 
			   Giles Chichester MEP 
			   Oliver Colvile MP 
			   Caroline Dinenage MP 
			   Graham Evans MP 
			   Ashley Fox MEP 
			   Richard Graham MP 
			   Andrew Griffiths MP 
			   Simon Hart MP 
			   Mark Lancaster MP 
			   Jessica Lee MP 
			   Jeremy Lefroy MP 
			   Karen Lumley MP 
			   Mark Menzies MP 
			   Matthew Offord MP 
			   Mark Pawsey MP 
			   Jonathan Reynolds MP 
			   Jim Shannon MP 
			   Lord Rotherwick 
			   Emma McClarkin MEP 
			   Nikki Sinclaire MEP 
			   Mary Macleod MP 
			   Chris Kelly MP 
			    
			 20 December  David Cameron MP (Prime Minister) 
			    
			 2012   
			 21-24 February  Gerald Howarth MP (Minister) 
			   Andrew Robathan MP (Minister) 
			    
			 28-29 February  Nick Harvey MP (Minister) 
			   Peter Luff MP (Minister) 
			   Lord Astor of Hever (Minister) 
			   Lord Wallace of Saltaire

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel will work at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy; and what the cost to the public purse will be in each of the next five years.

Gerald Howarth: As part of our enduring commitment to Afghanistan, the UK will lead coalition support at the new Afghan National Army Officer Academy. At its peak, approximately 120 coalition troops will work at the academy providing leadership training to the officer cadets. The UK expects to provide roughly three-quarters of this manpower. In addition to this, there will be a number of personnel working in a force protection and support role.
	The UK's manpower commitment will begin in 2013. Detailed financial planning is ongoing so we are not able to indicate the full costs at this stage.

Afghanistan

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work his Department has undertaken to determine the (a) size, (b) structure and (c) role of British personnel in Afghanistan after 2014.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 24 April 2012
	By the end of 2014, UK forces will not be serving in Afghanistan in a combat role and there will not be anything like the number of British troops that are there now. Nonetheless our long-term commitment to Afghanistan will last well beyond 2014 as evidenced by our Enduring Strategic Partnership document, signed by the Prime Minister and President Karzai in January 2012.
	As part of our enduring legacy in Afghanistan, UK troops will support the development of the Afghan National Security Forces by providing training at the new Afghan National Army Officer Academy. Detailed planning, in conjunction with NATO and other allies, is ongoing but no further decisions have yet been made about any other longer term, UK residual presence.

Afghanistan

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with their US counterparts on the role of British personnel in Afghanistan after 2014.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 24 April 2012
	Both I and Ministers within the Ministry of Defence have regular and routine discussions with our US allies on a range of issues. We are also in regular discussion with NATO and our other ISAF partners about the role NATO will have in Afghanistan after 2014. NATO allies, including the US, have agreed that NATO's post-2014 role should focus on training, advising and assisting the Afghan national security forces. The full scope of the NATO role will be set out in the NATO Strategic Plan for Afghanistan which will be one of the topics for discussion at the Chicago summit in May 2012.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment he expects to be moved out of Afghanistan in 2012.

Nick Harvey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 April 2012, Official Report, columns 369-70W.

AgustaWestland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether financial support has been provided by his Department to AgustaWestland to assist in transferring work contracted by the company to Vector Aerospace back to AgustaWestland's in-house facility.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The decision by AgustaWestland not to extend their sub-contracts with Vector Aerospace for support work on the Sea King and Lynx aircraft was a commercial decision in which the Ministry of Defence had no involvement.
	No financial support has been provided to assist in the transfer of work from Vector Aerospace's Almondbank facility to AgustaWestland's facility in Yeovil. Reassurances have been received that this will not impact on cost or performance outputs.

Air Force: Redundancy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether RAF personnel who have been made redundant and are liable for reserve service will receive a daily allowance; what the rate of any such daily allowance is; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many RAF personnel who have been made redundant from the service in the last 12 months remain liable for reserve service; for how long this condition will apply; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: RAF personnel made redundant who have a commitment for recall to the service do not receive a daily allowance. Former RAF personnel recalled to the service under the Reserve Forces Act 1980 and 1996 become regular members of the RAF for the duration of the recall and receive pay relative to their rank and seniority. Members of the volunteer reserves, comprising the Royal Air Force Reserve (RAFR) and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), receive attendance pay for the occasions they attend training, based on rank and experience.
	The eligibility for reserve service of RAF personnel made redundant in the last 12 months depends on individual circumstances. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether UK service personnel have served in the US to gain experience of handling and flying catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery aircraft;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse has been of sending individuals to the US to gain experience of handling and flying catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery aircraft;
	(3)  how many (a) pilots, (b) service personnel and (c) civilian personnel have been trained to operate the catapult and arrestor gear as part of the conversion of the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review;
	(4)  how much his Department has spent on training individuals to handle and fly CATOBAR aircraft.

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Two Royal Navy personnel from the aircraft handling specialisation have previously undertaken preliminary training with the United States Navy in the operation of catapult and arrestor gear aircraft operations. Seven Royal Navy pilots have also been trained to operate US Navy aircraft utilising catapult and arrestor gear, as part of the training programme for the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. No Royal Air Force or civilian personnel have taken part in such training programmes.
	The costs associated with this training are currently being collated and I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as they are available.
	Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Jim Murphy:
	In my answer to your Parliamentary Question dated 23 April 2012 (Official Report, column 716W) about the training of Service personnel on aircraft carriers, I undertook to write to you about costs as soon as the information was collated. I regret that it has not been possible to compile the information in the time allowed before prorogation, but I will write to you as soon as it is available.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the number and names of aircraft carriers operated by other nations that the (a) Hornet fast jet, (b) F35B and (c) Rafale fast jet is able to land on and take off from with a full weapon load.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence is only able to comment on the current position in relation to carrier-based operations by other nations rather than the technical specifications of other nations' capabilities. As of the end of February, the US Navy operates the Hornet from the Nimitz Class aircraft carriers; the F35B has operated from USS Wasp. The United States Marine Corps also intends to fly the F35B from United States Marine Corps decks. Italy is part of the F35B international programme, and intends to embark the aircraft on the Portaerei Cavour. Rafale operates from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which fast jets operated by other nations will be able to land and take off from a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier operating STOVL.

Gerald Howarth: Based on the analysis undertaken prior to the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, which the US Marine Corps and Italy plan to acquire, would be able to land and take off from a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier operating STOVL.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministers in his Department have received any representations on technical difficulties associated with converting the aircraft carrier to a CATOBAR configuration; from whom any such representations were received; and when they were received.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has not received any representations regarding technical difficulties associated with converting the operational Queen Elizabeth Aircraft carrier to a CATOBAR configuration.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to restore carrier strike capability.

Peter Luff: As we announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, it is the Government's intention to restore a Carrier Strike Capability around 2020.

Armed Forces

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the home base or headquarters is of each (a) Army regiment, (b) naval unit (excluding naval vessels) and (c) Royal Air Force group.

Andrew Robathan: Due to the number of establishments involved, this will take some time to compile. Once complete, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the information in the Library of the House.
	Substantive reply from Andrew Robathan to Bridget Phillipson:
	In my answer to your Parliamentary Question dated 23 April 2012 (Official Report, column 716W) about the location of Armed Forces bases or headquarters, I undertook to write to you as soon as the information was compiled. I regret that it has not been possible to compile the information in the time allowed before prorogation, but I will write to you as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department holds information on (a) serving forces couples and (b) serving forces couples who are deployed at the same time.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 April 2012
	We hold some information on legally recognised service couples for the purposes of determining entitlement to some allowances, and liability for dependent children, as well as providing emergency contact information. It can also be used by service manning authorities when re-assigning individuals to allow for collocation at a new duty station.
	Service partners are able to deploy together provided that the operational effectiveness of the unit is not affected.

Armed Forces: Council Tax

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals he expects will benefit from 100 per cent council tax relief for members of the armed forces deployed on operations in the next year.

Andrew Robathan: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the House on 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 796, council tax relief doubled with effect from April 2012 to just under £600 for an average six-month deployment. Currently, this relief is paid to around 9,500 individuals per annum.

Armed Forces: Families

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to support armed forces couples with children (a) during deployment and (b) at other times since May 2010;
	(2)  what steps his Department plans to take to support armed forces couples with children (a) during deployment and (b) at other times.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 April 2012
	Welfare support to families is a key contributor to operational effectiveness and is provided to the same level whether they are a service couple or not. However, we will, when circumstances allow, deconflict a deployment in order to maintain a family unit.
	The armed forces have long-standing welfare structures in place to support families. We continually review that support to identify where it can be further improved, and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 796, a number of measures to support service families, including the allocation of an additional £2 million to double the rate of the Families Welfare Grant. This is available to commanding officers, to use as they see fit on activities for the families of those deployed.

Armed Forces: Families

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department has allocated for the change announced in Budget 2012 to the Family Welfare Grant in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Andrew Robathan: As announced in 2012 Budget, the Treasury has provided the Ministry of Defence with around £2 million per financial year to cover the cost of doubling the Family Welfare Grant.

Armed Forces: Families

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has changed the eligibility criteria for the family welfare grant since March 2012;
	(2)  how many individuals he expects to be eligible for the changes in the Budget 2012 to the family welfare grant.

Andrew Robathan: There has been no change to the eligibility criteria for the family welfare grant (FWG) since March 2012. The grant is not paid to individuals, but is made available to the commanding officers of units whose personnel have deployed. The announcement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), in his recent Budget doubles the amount which can be claimed for each family. Current levels of deployment mean that the FWG benefits over 30,000 families per year, and the doubling of the grant represents the allocation of an additional £2 million per year.

Armed Forces: Females

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many female engagement teams have been (a) developed and (b) deployed in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Female engagement teams have been developed as an Afghanistan specific solution to enable the armed forces to engage with female members of Afghan communities in parallel to engagement with the male members of those communities.
	Female engagement team training is given to individuals who are then qualified to join a female engagement team in theatre. A female engagement team will in future consist of three female personnel: a team leader who is a cultural advisor and a linguist, supported by two force protection members.
	Since April 2011, the Ministry of Defence has maintained a footprint of four female engagement teams in Afghanistan. Female engagement teams are not developed and deployed as a distinct unit; these teams are formed of trained individuals undertaking this as a secondary role in theatre. In financial year 2011-12 there have been 24 military personnel deployed to undertake female engagement as part of female engagement teams.
	Prior to April 2011, there was one post established for a service woman to conduct female engagement, on an ad-hoc basis, and two military personnel were deployed over the period April 2010 to March 2011.

Armed Forces: Females

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on steps to ensure UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women's rights is referenced in all relevant Ministry of Defence doctrine; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The task to reference UNSCR 1325 across relevant Defence doctrine is being undertaken as part of an ongoing review process. In July 2011, the Ministry of Defence published the revised Joint Doctrine Note 5/11—Peacekeeping: An Evolving Role for Military Forces. The doctrine note made reference to a number of thematic resolutions, specifically noting United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325. The UK, as the custodian for writing NATO doctrine on peacekeeping, has commenced work on the new doctrine publication and will highlight the importance of UNSCR 1325 along with other thematic resolutions. The doctrine, which will act as a guide to NATO forces and be adopted as UK doctrine, is due to be completed in early 2013.

Armed Forces: Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has received from the sale of housing stock in Scotland in each year since 2009.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has received the following receipts from the sale of surplus housing stock in Scotland in each year since 2009:
	
		
			 Financial year Gross accrued receipts received for service families accommodation sold in £ million 
			 2009-10 4.91 
			 2010-11 4.01 
			 2011-12 1.85

Armed Forces: Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service family properties and (b) single living properties designated as empty were removed from his Department's housing stock in Scotland in each year since 2009.

Andrew Robathan: The following number of service family accommodation (SFA) properties in Scotland were sold in each year since 2009:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of SFA sold 
			 2009-10 45 
			 2010-11 36 
			 2011-12 14 
		
	
	Single living accommodation (SLA) is normally located within the wire of a Defence establishment and therefore can only be sold as part of a wider disposal. Although details are held of Scottish establishments sold since 2009, information on the amount of SLA included could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on armed forces: mental health services, how long each of the teleconferences were for each working group; what the outcomes were of those meetings; and whether there are any plans to hold face to face meetings on rehabilitation practices.

Andrew Robathan: The service personnel and veterans taskforce working groups have enabled the two sides to reach an improved understanding of their respective policies in the areas of:
	Supporting wounded, injured and sick personnel, including physical and psychological care and rehabilitation;
	Supporting service personnel, veterans and their families, in particular linking them to local communities;
	Supporting the transition of those leaving the services into civilian life, including vocational training and education.
	Details of these working group teleconferences is reproduced as follows:
	Working Group 1 (Transition from Military to Civilian Life) has participated in four video teleconferences each lasting approximately 60 minutes. We are currently considering bi-lateral exchange visits later this year.
	Working Group 2 (Mental Health) has participated in four teleconferences each lasting approximately 60 minutes. A bi-lateral visit is planned to take place shortly.
	Working Group 3 (‘Wounded Warrior’ Rehabilitation) has participated in one teleconference for approximately two and a half hours and a video teleconference lasting two hours.
	Working Group 4 (Military Family Support) has participated in a teleconference that lasted approximately 40 minutes. A bi-lateral visit in January 2012 has taken place.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential shared use of US army online psychological testing and training programmes.

Andrew Robathan: The UK armed forces have a range of stress management training programmes in place that have been specifically designed for UK service personnel. We are always interested in looking at equivalent programmes used by the US, and any evidence about their effectiveness. We have found, however, as a result of considerable work carried out in collaboration with US military health researchers, that what works for the US does not necessarily work for the UK. For example, the results of a controlled test of a version of the US military’s ‘Battlemind’ post-deployment stress management training programme adapted for using UK troops returning from middle east operations, suggested a different spectrum of benefits for UK personnel compared with US personnel.
	In order to keep in touch with the latest American thinking, Ministry of Defence officials continue to have regular discussions with their US colleagues regarding various psychological testing and training programmes. For example, discussions have recently taken place on the US army’s ‘Comprehensive Soldier Fitness’ (CSF) initiative, which is designed to develop the physical, emotional, social, family and spiritual strengths of US service personnel. We will consider the emerging work on CSF alongside our own stress management training programmes, and will consider evidence of its effectiveness. Conversely, the US is interested in understanding our online service delivered by ‘Big White Wall’, and appropriate interaction is being set up. The sharing of information, including evidence from scientific trials, on testing and training programmes will aid both countries in their attempts to optimise prevention and early detection of mental health problems.

Armed Forces: Olympic Games 2012

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the airborne assets required to protect the airspace around London during the Olympics.

Nick Harvey: The Air Security Plan for the Olympics is multi-layered and builds on our existing Air Defence procedures, with planned forward basing of Typhoon at RAF Northolt and helicopters aboard HMS Ocean berthed on the Thames, and at the TA Centre in Ilford. These will be supported by Sentry Airborne Early Warning and VC10 Tanker aircraft operating from their home bases.
	Our existing Air Defence procedures are regularly exercised and a thorough military exercise programme has been undertaken to integrate these additional force elements into our existing Air Defence arrangements.

Armed Forces: Psychology

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on armed forces: psychology, whether any armed forces networks have been established in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: These are matters for the devolved Administrations. However, I can say that each is undertaking work that is equivalent or similar to the armed forces networks established in England.
	In Scotland, national health service (NHS) boards have designated armed forces champions who provide the main link with other boards, health service providers and local military units. In Wales, champions for veterans and armed forces have been established in every local health board and NHS trust to ensure that the needs of veterans and serving personnel are reflected in local service plans, and to improve links between health and social care, veterans groups and UK Government. In Northern Ireland, the Armed Forces Liaison Forum—which includes representation from statutory health care services, veterans' organisations and serving personnel —is expected to develop into an armed forces network over the coming months.

Armed Forces: Training

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy personnel have received cultural training prior to deployment overseas in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerald Howarth: All personnel deploying on operations receive pre-deployment training, which includes cultural orientation. This is delivered either through individual or collective training. Pre-deployment training will also include refresher training on the Law of Armed Conflict and the Geneva Convention. This training is vital to assisting our troops' ability to engage with and work alongside local communities in which they are deployed. There is joint as well as individual service training, and the number of personnel deployed on overseas operations over the last three years is:
	
		
			 Table 1: Total UK armed forces (1)  personnel identified as having deployed on overseas operations (2,3,4 ) each year since April 2009 
			  Financial year 
			  2009-10 2010 -1 1 2011-12 
			 All services 58,560 57,520 60,190 
			 Naval Service 7,820 9,080 10,510 
			 Army 37,260 34,670 34,500 
			 Royal Air Force 13,480 13,780 15,190 
			 (1) UK armed forces personnel includes UK regular forces, Gurkhas, full-time reserve service (FTRS) personnel and mobilised reservists. (2) Overseas operations are defined as the total number of personnel currently deployed outside the UK's borders. This includes all military personnel mobilised for contingency operations, wartime operations, United Nations peacekeeping operations and humanitarian operations. (3) Data includes only personnel who are deployed to an overseas location with an assigned country code. All personnel on overseas training exercises are excluded from the total figures. (4) Total numbers deployed do not include repeat tours and each individual is recorded only once per financial year. Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Due to ongoing validation of Joint Personnel Administration, all data provided is provisional and subject to change. Source: DASA (Quad-Service).

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account his Department took of mandatory Strategic Defence and Security Review commitments to provide Royal Marines with protective capability when considering the potential withdrawal of the Viking armoured vehicle; and what similar armoured vehicles have amphibious assault landing capability and provide similar levels of protection to the Viking armoured vehicle.

Gerald Howarth: It remains our intention that the Royal Marines should be equipped with an amphibious landing capability, including protected mobility, as set out in the strategic defence and security review.
	We have taken no decision to withdraw the Viking armoured vehicle from service, and there is presently no other vehicle in the armed forces’ inventory which offers the equivalent level of protection as well as the ability to undertake amphibious assault operations.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on the Foxhound vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Foxhound remains on schedule to be delivered to Afghanistan later this year, in line with the timescale that was publicly announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in December 2011.

Army: Scotland

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with employers on the proposed increase in volunteer numbers in the army in Scotland;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to increase the recruitment of volunteers to the army in Scotland;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to explain the role of the Army Reserve to potential volunteers and employers.

Andrew Robathan: There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Defence and employers in Scotland. Scottish interests are, however, represented on the UK-wide National Employer Advisory Board, which is scheduled to meet three times a year, and provides informed independent strategic advice to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on employer relationship matters.
	The reserve forces' and cadets' associations, employ SaBRE (Supporting Britain's Reserves and Employers) regional campaign directors in Glasgow and Dundee. They routinely engage with employers and provide information to potential volunteers.
	The MOD also routinely conducts surveys across the UK, including Scotland, on reserve forces and employer issues. The most recent survey was in 2011 following the announcement of the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) review, to explore employer perceptions on reservists, on employing them and on the recommendations of the FR 20 review.
	Under the One Army Recruiting strategy, volunteers are recruited from Scotland to both regular and reserve forces. Following the decision to increase the size of the Territorial Army (TA), a range of UK wide Army radio, digital and TV campaigns have been run which have resulted in a significant increase in the number of contacts and applicants in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. TA units have also increased their recruiting activities and community engagement to publicise the role of reserve forces.

Art Works

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the total value of his Department's artwork and historical artefacts located in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) overseas.

Andrew Robathan: Artworks and antiques owned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in the MOD Art Collection are classed as non-operational heritage assets in the departmental resource accounts. The MOD Art Collection is managed in line with professional guidelines as laid out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Government Art Collection (GAC).
	Following the practice of the GAC, no estimate is maintained for the total value of artwork and antiques in the MOD Art Collection. There would be a high cost associated with maintaining a current valuation of the collection that would outweigh the value of holding the information.

BAE Systems

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many projects being delivered by BAE Systems for his Department are overrunning in (a) time and (b) budget.

Peter Luff: 89% of procurement schemes being supplied by BAE Systems against their current approval are on budget and 71% are on schedule.

Centre for Defence Enterprise

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department expects to allocate through the Centre for Defence Enterprise in each of the next four years; and how much of that funding will be allocated through small business research initiative competitions.

Peter Luff: The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) has no set budget but is seen as an important instrument through which the Government can encourage and access innovation for defence and security, as outlined in the National Security through Technology White Paper.
	The Ministry of Defence, through the CDE, expect to facilitate in excess of £10 million pounds of annual work for the Defence Science and Technology Programme over the remainder of the comprehensive spending review period.
	Over this period, the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) is expected to contribute 25% of the cost of individual projects funded in response to SBRI complaint research calls, up to a maximum overall contribution of £1.5 million each year. A further £2 million a year is now available to support follow-on funding of the most successful projects.

Centre for Defence Enterprise

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by the Centre for Defence Enterprise in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 and what proportion of such expenditure was made with (i) small and medium-sized enterprises, (ii) other companies, (iii) universities and (iv) non-UK organisations.

Peter Luff: As recognised in the White Paper, ‘National Security through Technology’, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a vital source of innovation and flexibility in meeting defence requirements, and hugely important to the UK economy. CDE was established to provide efficient access to innovation across the potential science and technology supply base, but in particular to pilot new approaches to engage of SMEs with defence research.
	In 2009-10, £7.3 million worth of proposals submitted to the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) received funding. Of these, approximately:
	50% originated from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
	28 % with other companies
	22% with academia.
	In 2010-11, £6.7 million worth of proposals submitted to the CDE received funding. Of these, approximately:
	41% originated from SMEs
	35 % with other companies
	24% with academia.
	The CDE does not track expenditure with international organisations.
	Although the figures show a decrease in funding received by SMEs, following the commitment in the Defence White Paper ‘National Security through Technology’ to provide more support to SMEs in the development of routes to market for potential products and to enhance communication mechanisms between CDE and suppliers, detailed proposals were announced at the recent CDE Showcase event on 27 March. These include:
	providing more events to attract SMEs to defence;
	publishing the call and event programme at least six months in advance;
	an expansion of the successful face to face surgery system;
	more possibilities to fund SMEs to prove their ideas; and
	a new market place concept for them to promote their ideas into mature products.

Chemical Weapons

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tablets in nerve agent pre-treatment sets in dealing with soman and sarin.

Andrew Robathan: Drug trials on pyridostigmine bromide, which is the active ingredient in Nerve Agent Pre-treatment Sets (NAPS), have shown it to provide effective protection against both soman and sarin nerve agents. Pyridostigmine bromide was selected as the active element in NAPS because it remains effective for a prolonged period (eight hours), and was listed in the British Pharmacopoeia as an existing drug with a long history of clinical use and safety. Compared with the UK's previous treatment, clinical trials indicated that NAPS gave significantly increased protection against all nerve agents when used in combination with post-exposure therapy.

Chemical Weapons

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish all the material and reports held by his Department on the tablets issued in nerve agent pre-treatment sets.

Andrew Robathan: Material on the subject of nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) has been made publicly available by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through its website at:
	www.mod.uk
	in the section on Gulf Veterans Illnesses. In particular, the MOD paper “Background to the use of Medical Countermeasures to protect British Forces during the Gulf War (Operation Granby)” (October 1997), includes a section (paragraphs 122-149) on “Medical Countermeasures Against Nerve Agents” that describes the history, trials and effective use of NAPS. It is also available in the Library of the House.

Child Minding

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many certified child minders his Department employs.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	It is Ministry of Defence policy to encourage the development of affordable, quality child care provision for employees. Schemes are managed at a local level and are normally provided by contractors.

Cyprus

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Cypriot authorities on the illegal use of mist nets and limesticks to trap birds around the UK's Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has had no recent discussions with the Cypriot Authorities on this subject but the Sovereign Base Areas Administration has regular meetings on the issue with the relevant authorities of the Republic of Cyprus and relevant Non-Government Organisations to exchange and share information.

Cyprus

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enforcement operations there have been against the illegal trapping of songbirds around the UK's Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Sovereign Base Areas Police conducted enforcement operations primarily focused on Cape Pyla in the Eastern Sovereign Base Areas where trapping is a particular issue. A yearly breakdown of these enforcement operations is provided as follows:
	2009-10: 135
	2010-11: 181
	2011-12: 196

Cyprus

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions resulted from enforcement operations against the illegal trapping of songbirds around the UK's Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: In the past three financial years the sovereign base areas police have made a total of 125 arrests as a result of enforcement operations against the illegal trapping and poaching of birds. Prior to 2010, arrests for trapping and poaching were not recorded separately and for consistency with previous answers, given to the hon. Member, figures for both trapping and poaching are therefore included in the following table, broken down into the two categories where now possible.
	
		
			 Number 
			 Financial year Total arrests Trapping Poaching 
			 2009-10 55 (1)— (1)— 
			 2010-11 71 37 34 
			 2011-12 69 57 12 
			 (1) No breakdown available. 
		
	
	Available information indicates that conviction rates approach 100% reflecting the fact that most perpetrators are arrested while committing the relevant offence.

Defence Business Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to spend on its contract with Serco for Defence Business Services in each of the next three years.

Andrew Robathan: The value of the contract is around £36 million over the four-year contract period. This is a payment by results contract, and all of Serco’s incentive is linked to delivering efficiencies. Therefore, if Serco do not deliver any of the savings they will be paid zero. A breakdown of costs over the four years is not available as this is dependent on the savings delivered by Serco.

Defence Equipment and Support

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by Defence Equipment and Support at Abbey Wood; and what the cost of their salaries was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 April 2012
	On 1 March 2012, there were 18,920 staff within Defence Equipment and Support, of which 7,930 service personnel and civilian staff were employed at Ministry of Defence Abbey Wood. The estimated annual gross pay cost is approximately £400 million.
	Civil service staff reductions are being made across Defence, and Abbey Wood is not immune from this.

Defence Exports Support Group

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 718W, on the Defence Exports Support Group, if he will name the Director of Exports and Commercial Strategy.

Gerald Howarth: Susanna Mason was appointed Director Exports and Commercial Strategy on 1 January 2012 to co-ordinate the Department's export effort in support of UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (DSO).

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Babcock International Group plc, (b) Finmeccanica SpA, (c) QinetiQ Group plc, (d) BAE Systems plc, (e) Hewlett-Packard Company, (f) Rolls-Royce Group plc, (g) EADS NV3, (h) Lockheed Martin Corporation and (i) Thales SA was in each year since 2006;
	(2)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) BAE Systems plc, including payments made to BAE Systems/Rockwell Collins Data Link Solutions LLC, (b) Corda Ltd, (c) Detica Group plc, (d) Detica Ltd, Europaams SAS, (e) IFS Defence Ltd, (f) MBDA France, (g) MBDA UK Ltd, (h) Piper Group PLC, (i) SAAB AB (Publ), (j) SAAB AB Gripen, (k) SAAB Barracuda AB, (l) SAAB Bofors Dynamics AB, (m) SAAB Seaeye Ltd and (n) SAAB Training Systems AB in each year since 2006;
	(3)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Aerosystems International Ltd, (b) Atlantic Inertial Systems Ltd, (c) BAE Systems (Defence Systems) Ltd, (d) BAE Systems (Hawk Synthetic Training) Ltd, (e) BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd, (f) BAE Systems Australia Ltd, (g) BAE Systems Bofors AB, (h) BAE Systems Defence Ltd, (i) BAE Systems Electronics Ltd, (j) BAE Systems Hagglunds AB, (k) BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc, (l) BAE Systems Information and Electronic Warfare Systems, (m) BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies Ltd, (n) BAE Systems Land Systems (Bridging) Ltd, (o) BAE Systems Land Systems (Munitions and Ordnance) Ltd, (p) BAE Systems Land Systems (Weapons and Vehicles) Ltd, (q) BAE Systems Marine Ltd, (r) BAE Systems National Security Solutions Inc, (s) BAE Systems Pinzgauer Ltd, (t) BAE Systems PLC, (u) BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Ltd, (v) BAE Systems Surface Ships Integrated Support Ltd, (w) BAE Systems Surface Ships Ltd, (x) BAE Systems Surface Ships Maritime Ltd, (y) BAE Systems Surface Ships Portsmouth Ltd, (z) BAE Systems Surface Ships Support Ltd and (aa) BAE Systems (Aviation Services) Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(4)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Ascent Flight Training (Management) Ltd, (b) AWE Management Ltd, (c) AWE plc, (d) Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, (e) Lockheed Martin Aerospace Systems Integration Corp, (f) Lockheed Martin Canada Inc, (g) Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors Ltd, (h) Lockheed Martin Overseas Corp, (i) Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc, (j) Lockheed Martin UK Insys Ltd, (k) Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems and Solutions, (l) Lockheed Martin UK Ltd, (m) Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems Ltd and (n) Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture in each year since 2006;
	(5)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) ASAP Calibration Services Ltd, (b) Boldon James Ltd, (c) Graphics Research Corporation Ltd, (d) HVR Consulting Services Ltd, (e) QinetiQ Commerce Decisions Ltd, (f) QinetiQ Group plc, (g) QinetiQ Ltd and (h) QinetiQ Target Services Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(6)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Agustawestland International Ltd, (b) Aviation Training International Ltd, (c) DRS C3 Systems Inc, (d) DRS Data Services Ltd, (e) DRS Technologies UK Ltd, (f) Europaams SAS, (g) Galileo Avionica Spa, (h) MBDA France, (i) MBDA UK Ltd, (j) Selex Communications Ltd, (k) Selex Galileo Ltd, (l) Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Ltd, (m) Selex Systems Integration Ltd, (n) Vega Consulting Services Ltd and (o) Westland Helicopters Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(7)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) EDS Defence Ltd, (b) Hewlett-Packard Ltd and (c) HP Enterprise Services Defence and Security UK Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(8)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Airbus UK Ltd, (b) Astrium Ltd, (c) EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd, (d) EADS Deutschland GmbH, (e) EADS France SAS, (f) EADS Test and Services (UK) Ltd, (g) EADS Test Engineering Services (UK) Ltd, (h) Eurocopter, (i) Eurocopter UK Ltd, (j) Europaams SAS, (k) Infoterra Ltd, (l) MBDA France, (m) MBDA UK Ltd, (n) Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd and (o) Paradigm Services Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(9)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Babcock Dyncorp Ltd, (b) Babcock Integrated Technology Ltd, (c) Babcock International Group PLC, (d) Babcock Marine (Clyde) Ltd, (e) Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd, (f) Babcock Support Services Ltd, (g) BNS Nuclear Services Ltd, (h) Debut Services (South West) Ltd, (i) Debut Services Ltd, (j) Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd, (k) Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd, (l) Holdfast Training Services Ltd, (m) LSC Group Ltd, (n) Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd, (o) Rosyth Royal Dockyard Pension scheme and (p) Strachan and Henshaw Ltd in each year since 2006;
	(10)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A., (b) Optimized Systems and Solutions Ltd, (c) Powerfield Ltd, (d) Rolls-Royce Corporation, (e) Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd and Co KG, (f) Rolls-Royce Marine Electrical Systems Ltd, (g) Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations Ltd, (h) Rolls-Royce PLC, (i) Rolls-Royce Power Engineering PLC, (j) Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd and (k) Vinters Engineering PLC in each year since 2006;
	(11)  what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Europaams SAS, (b) Quintec Associates Ltd, (c) Thales Air Defence Ltd, (d) Thales ATM Ltd, (e) Thales Avionics Electrical Systems Ltd, (f) Thales Avionics Ltd, (g) Thales Communications Inc, (h) Thales Communications Ltd, (i) Thales E-Security Ltd, (j) Thales Missile Electronics Ltd, (k) Thales Naval Ltd, (l) Thales Nederland BV, (m) Thales Norway AS, (n) Thales Optronics (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd, (o) Thales Optronics Ltd, (p) Thales Systemes Aeroportes SA, (q) Thales Training and Simulation (ACE) Ltd, (r) Thales Training and Simulation (Eagle Middle Wallop) Ltd, (s) Thales Training and Simulation (Merlin) Ltd, (t) Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, (u) Thales UK Ltd and (v) Thales Underwater Systems Ltd in each year since 2006.

Peter Luff: General information on Ministry of Defence spending with individual companies is available in UK Defence Statistics 2010 at table 1.17. Organisations paid £5 million or more in 2009-10. I will write to the hon. Member with additional information as soon as this is available.
	Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Angus Robertson:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions answered on 14 December 2010 (Official Report, column 714W-715W) about the value of payments made to the subsidiaries of a range of our largest suppliers.
	Providing this information has taken far longer than it should have done, and I can only apologise for the delay in answering your questions.
	I am now in a position to provide you with the information that you have requested, and details of the past five financial years, for which data is available, have been placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Manpower

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has saved as a result of the changes in the number of civil servants announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Andrew Robathan: The changes in the number of civil servants announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review take place over the four years of the Spending Review 2010 period. The first of these years was financial year 2011-12. We shall disclose the civilian manpower costs for both 2010-11 and 2011-12 in Note 9.2 of the Ministry of Defence's 2011-12 Annual Report and Accounts which we plan to lay before Parliament on 4 July 2012.

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Medals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 543W, on diamond jubilee 2012: medals, whether those who have not qualified in the financial year 2011-12, but are still serving in the regular forces, are liable for call-up duties.

Andrew Robathan: All regular members of the armed forces, providing they are assessed as fit to do so, are liable for worldwide deployment. This is a fundamental condition of service and is fully accepted.

Falkland Islands

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed service personnel were killed in military action in the Falklands War; and how many service personnel who served in the war have since committed suicide.

Andrew Robathan: The number of UK armed forces personnel who died during the Falklands conflict in 1982 was 237. In this, the 30th anniversary year of the Falklands conflict, our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives.
	The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking research into the causes of death (including suicide) among all UK armed forces personnel who served in the 1982 Falklands campaign. The results of this research will be published when complete.

Falkland Islands

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 1052W, on the Falkland Islands, how many military helicopters will be stationed in the Falkland Islands following the privatisation of search and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining the provision of search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards. This work is at an early stage and no decisions have been taken.

Flag Officer Sea Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aspects of Flag Officer Sea Training take place in Scotland.

Gerald Howarth: Flag Officer Sea Training (Faslane), based in HM Naval Base Clyde, delivers a broad spectrum of training, from specialist individual instruction to the complex collective training of multi-national task groups comprising ships, submarines and aircraft. This training is both sea-based, for submarines and minor war vessels, and shore-based using simulators to train and certify command teams and specialist branches.

Flag Officer Sea Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much revenue his Department received from training sailors from other countries in Flag Officer Sea Training in each of the last five years, broken down by country.

Gerald Howarth: Information is not held in the format requested. However, it is possible to consolidate total revenue received from training Naval personnel from other countries by Flag Officer Sea Training for each of the last five years. This information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Revenue (£ million) 
			 2007-08 14 
			 2008-09 14 
			 2009-10 12 
			 2010-11 14 
			 2011-12 (1)14 
			 (1) The figure given for 2011-12 is estimated as all costings have not yet been evaluated. 
		
	
	These figures are rounded to the nearest million.

Gulf War Syndrome

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will publish all information held by his Department on his Department's policy on Gulf War syndrome;
	(2)  what his policy is on Gulf War Syndrome.

Andrew Robathan: The UK and the USA have undertaken a substantial amount of research into Gulf veterans' illnesses, which has indicated that there is no illness which is specific to Gulf veterans. It has been Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy for many years to publish key reports and information on Gulf issues and to make this material available on the MOD website at:
	www.mod.uk
	The policy on Gulf War Syndrome has remained unchanged since 2005 when the MOD responded to concerns by proposing in a Pensions Appeal Tribunal case that the application of the umbrella term Gulf War Syndrome could be used to cover accepted conditions causally linked to the 1990-91 Gulf conflict.

Gurkhas

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of former members of Gurkha regiments living in the UK have the right to vote in general elections.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the proportion of former Gurkhas able to vote in general elections.

HMS Caroline

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what long-term plans his Department has developed for HMS Caroline.

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the future of HMS Caroline; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans his Department has for the future of HMS Caroline.

Peter Luff: We have agreed in principle to gift HMS Caroline to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. This is subject to the development of a viable heritage business plan for the ship and parliamentary approval. As well as the National Museum being able to fund the day-to-day responsibility for the ship, following decommissioning on 31 March 2011, a heritage plan is required to be developed in consultation with the Northern Ireland authorities and others.
	Discussions are continuing between the National Museum of the Royal Navy and authorities in Northern Ireland. An announcement will be made when a decision has been made on the future of the former HMS Caroline, which we expect to be in the summer.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department attended the meeting at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to discuss the F35 programme;
	(2)  what the implications for the UK carrier programme were of the meeting at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to discuss the F35 programme.

Peter Luff: Due to the short notice of the meeting, called by the Canadian Government while I was in Afghanistan, a senior official from the British embassy represented me. It provided an opportunity to exchange information on Joint Strike Fighter programme issues and improve coordination among partner nations regarding Joint Strike Fighter matters. There were no direct implications for the UK carrier programme.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the unit cost of the F35B aircraft.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence does not publish cost estimates for the elements of a programme that is not yet approved, as this disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely maintenance cost per plane of the (a) F35C and (b) F35B in (i) five and (ii) 10 years from the anticipated in-service date of each.

Peter Luff: The in-service phase of the UK element of the Joint Strike Fighter programme has not yet been through the formal departmental approval process. The Ministry of Defence does not publish cost estimates for the elements of a programme that are not yet approved, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many F35B aircraft his Department plans to (a) procure and (b) operate.

Peter Luff: We have yet to make a final decision on the overall number of joint strike fighter aircraft we intend to procure and will not do so before the next planned strategic defence and security review.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking as a result of Operation Ellamy, unilaterally and with allies, to improve refuelling and Istar capacity and resilience for international expeditionary operations.

Gerald Howarth: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The UK made effective use of its Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) assets throughout Op Ellamy and was able to contribute to and benefit from international interoperability in this area.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be delivering a major AAR capability uplift with the introduction into service of the new Voyager aircraft (formerly Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft). The Entry-into-Service phase for Voyager is currently ongoing and by the contractual In-Service Date of May 2014, nine aircraft will be available for AAR operations.
	The MOD routinely conducts lessons-learned exercises as part of military operations and assesses opportunities for collaboration with allies. As an AAR platform, the Voyager, will be capable of refuelling aircraft, both Fast Jet and transport types, from many different nations.
	UK personnel deployed on Op Ellamy were also able to train alongside US personnel on US Rivet Joint aircraft and develop joint manning operations, allowing an effective means of gathering intelligence and preparing for the entry into service of the UK's Airseeker in 2014. These assets made a vital contribution and demonstrate the flexibility and importance of ISTAR.
	We are developing programmes to maintain our capabilities on Unmanned Aerial Systems, imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, airborne surveillance and base/force protection within the next decade. ISTAR also relies heavily on relationships with allies. We regularly share and receive access to the products of other nations' ISTAR capabilities and we expect these relationships to continue into the future.

Medal Review

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list the full membership of the Medal Review;
	(2)  when he last met with representatives of the Medal Review; and what matters were discussed;
	(3)  when he expects to receive the conclusions of the Medal Review.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 24 April 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister today.

Military Aircraft

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking on development of European air-to-air refuelling capabilities.

Peter Luff: The UK has invested in its own air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capability to replace the ageing VC10 and Tristar fleets, and we are planning to introduce the Voyager aircraft into service as an AAR aircraft from May 2014. The Department is looking to work bilaterally and multilaterally with partners to explore opportunities to provide access to UK potential AAR unallocated capacity.
	Additionally, the UK endorsed a political declaration on AAR at the European Defence Agency Steering Board on 22 March 2012. This is in response to an identified gap among European nations' AAR capability, through lessons learnt in operations in Libya.

Military Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how long it takes to train an individual to operate STOVL aircraft;
	(2)  how much it costs to train an individual to operate STOVL aircraft.

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The F-35 training syllabus and delivery method has not yet been finalised. Therefore the length of time and associated cost to train an individual to operate Joint Strike Fighter aircraft is not quantifiable at this time.

Military Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel his Department plans to train to operate STOVL aircraft.

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 April 2012
	No decisions have been taken on final training requirements for the joint strike fighter (JSF). We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and equipment plan including the Carrier Strike programme and will not make a decision on final numbers of JSF aircraft and associated support until the next Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on the Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study has concluded and its findings will now be taken forward as part of routine departmental business. While there are no major changes to our previously announced plans, given the parliamentary interest I will make a statement summarising the results of the study shortly.

Military Bases: Criminal Investigation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with police forces local to RAF, Army and Royal Navy bases about the investigation of crimes on those bases; what protocols have been established for the conduct of investigations; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: No such specific discussions have taken place. However, the Ministry of Defence police and the three Service police forces routinely have discussions with police forces local to RAF, Army and Royal Navy bases about crimes committed on those bases.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has two protocols with the Association of Chief Police Officers that cover the investigation of crimes at Defence establishments. Responsibility for the investigation of defence-related crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the MOD dated 6 January 2008 that was communicated under cover of Home Office circular 028/2008. A separate protocol providing guidance on the investigation of deaths on land or premises owned, occupied or under the control of the MOD was signed in January 2008. Both documents are currently being reviewed.

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he did not make an oral statement on Ministry of Defence police redundancies on 27 March 2012.

Andrew Robathan: No decisions on redundancies for Ministry of Defence police (MDP) officers have yet been made. Applications for early release under the current Ministry of Defence Voluntary Early Release Scheme will continue to be accepted, as long as operational effectiveness is not adversely affected, and other officers will leave of their own accord. The need for any MDP redundancies can only be confirmed after the consultation process on the changes has been concluded and the full range of surplus mitigation measures have been applied.

MOD Bicester

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to the public purse was of spending by MOD Bicester on third party logistics organisations in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011; and what proportion of such spending in each such year was allocated to (i) Palletings, (ii) Hacklings, (iii) Metcalfe Farms Haulage, (iv) Kenyons, (v) Reason Transport, (vi) Andover Transport, (vii) Pertemps agency drivers, (viii) City Sprint, (ix) other private hauliers and (x) other couriers. [Official Report, 10 May 2012, Vol. 545, c. 1MC.]

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The freight and courier contracts used by Logistic Commodities and Services Bicester to transport defence equipment are managed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and are available for use by all Ministry of Defence (MOD) units. The cost of these contracts cannot be attributed to individual sites.
	The total expenditure incurred in financial years (FY) 2010-11 and 2011-12 against each enabling contract is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Contract FY 2010-11 FY 201142 
			 Freight contractors   
			 DSV 1.96 1.17 
			 Plantspeed 1.24 0.77 
			 DB Schenker 5.16 5.37 
			 Parcelforce 1.50 1.44 
			 Palletways 1.99 2.86 
			 Sheldon and Clayton 0.06 0.30 
			 Charles Gee 0.68 0.43 
			 Severn Vale 0.46 0,60 
			 Wincanton 1.26 1.10 
			 NYK Logistics 0.44 0.22 
			 DHL 12.39 15.14 
			 Eddie Stobart 0.32 0.25 
			 GA Newsome 0.15 0.29 
			 CTS 1.32 1.11 
			 CitySprint (London) 0.02 0.02 
			 Ridgeway International 0.95 1.45 
			    
			 Courier contractors   
			 CitySprint 2.53 1.82 
			 Total 32.43 34.34 
		
	
	The total expenditure incurred for the use of Pertemps agency drivers by MOD Bicester in FYs 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Contract FY 2009-10 FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12 
			 Pertemps 1.24 1.63 0.91 
		
	
	For those elements of this question for which we have not provided information, it has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots participated in the NATO Flying Training in Canada programme in each of the last five years.

Gerald Howarth: 20 trainee pilots and seven qualified flying instructors participated in the programme in 2007. No further trainee pilots entered the programme; however one qualified flying instructor has remained with the programme in a liaison role.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots participated in the Euro-NATO joint jet pilot training programme in each year since 1982.

Gerald Howarth: UK pilots and instructors participated in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Training programme during the 1980s and 1990s, but have not done so for some years. We do not hold records of the information requested.

Navy: Pensions

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that serving Royal Navy personnel on deployment have accurate information on proposed changes to their pensions; and whether there will be a consultation exercise on proposed changes to the pension scheme that includes the views of those on deployment.

Andrew Robathan: Since the outset of the Hutton review, the Royal Navy has kept its personnel informed of proposed pension changes through a series of written briefings from the Second Sea Lord as Principal Personnel Officer. These are distributed through the chain of command to all units, irrespective of location, and are available on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) intranet.
	An initial consultation exercise for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme was launched on 29 March 2012. As part of this consultation, all service personnel are being asked their views on the new scheme. A comprehensive package of material has been issued to personnel via the chain of command. Additionally, a series of information briefings and focus groups is being undertaken around the UK and overseas. The presentation slides and script are available on the MOD intranet and internet for those unable to attend. Service personnel will be informed of the outcome of the initial consultation exercise when an outline scheme design is published in late spring.

Netherlands: Armed Forces

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Netherlands Marine Corps personnel served with British 3 Commando Brigade in each of the last 10 years; and whether such troops have taken part in combat action as part of that military unit;
	(2)  how many service personnel from the Netherlands armed forces served with the Special Boat Service in each of the last 10 years; and whether such personnel have taken part in combat action as part of that military unit;
	(3)  what co-operation there is between the Royal Marines and the Netherlands Marine Corps on (a) operations, (b) logistics, (c) materials and (d) procurement.

Nick Harvey: Since 1973, there has been and continues to be close co-operation between the Royal Marines (RM) and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (RNLMC) operating together regularly and sharing resources in joint exercises. These include the NATO Exercise Cold Response 2012 in Norway, Exercise Caribbean Anchor 2011 in the Dutch Antilles, and current exercise planning includes Norway and Joint Warrior 13-1 in 2013. Additionally there is an arrangement in place for RNLMC personnel to undertake various courses at the Commando Training Centre RM, Lympstone. The RNLMC and RM also utilise similar equipment, for example the Viking Protected mobility troop carrier and Bowman communications and this supports interoperability.
	Royal Netherlands Marine Corps exchange officers have deployed on two occasions with 3 Commando Brigade to Op Herrick and once to the EU Battle Group Operational Headquarters on Op Atalanta in the last 10 years.
	It is the long-standing policy of the Government that we do not comment on UK special forces, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Netherlands: Armed Forces

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Netherlands regarding the sale of the Global Combat Ship to that country.

Gerald Howarth: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not held any discussions on the Type 26, Global Combat Ship with his counterpart in the Netherlands.
	However, we are supporting exports of Global Combat Ship through an active and innovative defence diplomacy initiative. Ministers and officials from across Government are promoting the UK's defence and security industry with overseas counterparts where appropriate. This has included briefings by officials with the Netherlands.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on procurement in (a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11, (b) the first quarter of 2011-12 and (c) the second quarter of 2011-12.

Peter Luff: Total procurement spending by the Ministry of Defence for the periods requested was:
	
		
			  Procurement spending (£ million) 
			 Q4 2010-11 4,903 
			 Q1 2011-12 5,241 
			 Q2 2011-12 5,014 
		
	
	Procurement spending is defined as the total value of payments made to third party suppliers, excluding VAT.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of departmental procurement spend went to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Peter Luff: The figure for the percentage of departmental procurement spend going directly to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2011-12 is not yet available.
	The percentage of overall departmental procurement spend going directly to SMEs in 2010-11 was 3.8%. This figure reflects spending on a number of large long-term contracts, to which the Department has been committed for some time. The percentage of new contracts awarded to SMEs during 2010-11 was 13% by value and 42% by volume.
	The Department did not calculate a robust figure for financial year 2009-10. However, in practice, a much larger proportion of the Department's procurement spending benefits SMEs. This is because, for many of its larger procurement projects, the MOD works through a primary contractor. This contractor then lets a number of further contracts to SMEs. As a result, the figures above considerably underestimate the true impact of Defence procurement spending on SMEs.

Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely savings to the public purse of his decision to rationalise vehicle acquisition during the spending review period.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 April 2012
	As the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), announced to the House on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-45, the Army's vehicle requirements are currently under consideration and rationalising vehicle acquisition is being considered as part of this year's annual budget setting process, known as the planning round. The process of vehicle acquisition will also take into account the large numbers of vehicles purchased for operations in Afghanistan.
	Work on the planning round is not yet complete, but an announcement will be made once decisions have been taken.

Renewable Energy

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the report entitled Renewable Energy Capacity Model/Methodology dated March 2011 written by Rolton Group Limited for the Property Directorate, Defence Estates; and what plans he has to implement the measures proposed in the report.

Andrew Robathan: The Rolton Group was jointly commissioned by the Carbon Trust and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of the support the Trust provides in reducing carbon emissions. The report provides a valuable reference to assist project managers and planners to identify low carbon energy opportunities.
	MOD officials are working with the Cabinet Office and Government Procurement Services on how best to engage with industry on procuring low carbon energy solutions.

Rescue Services

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) training and (b) flying hours were undertaken by crews in search and rescue services in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 1061W, on the Falkland Islands, how many (a) training and (b) flying hours are flown by crews in search and rescue services provided by the RAF; and if he will make a statement.

Gerald Howarth: Information on search and rescue operational and training flying hours flown by the Royal Navy’s Sea King Mk 5 and the RAF’s Sea King Mk3/3a fleets for financial year 2011-12 is shown in the following table. All flying activity, including operational flying, contains a training element.
	During this time the RN and RAF crews responded to approximately 1,850 call outs.
	
		
			  Operational flying hours Training flying hours 
			 Royal Navy 856 1,309 
			 RAF 2,723 6,757

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the replacement of the fleet of helicopters used for search and rescue; and if he will make a statement.

Gerald Howarth: holding answer 20 July 2010
	I refer my hon. Friend to the written statements given by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on 28 November 2011, Official Report, columns 52-53WS, and by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), on 8 February 2012, Official Report, columns 26-27WS.

Research

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) research and (b) development in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on (i) research and (ii) development in each of the next three years.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 48W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah). The hon. Member may note that there have been revisions to the 2009-10 figures due to improved data coverage of Research and Development spend in Top Level Budgets other than those covered in the main survey by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA). The 2010-11 figures for Research and Development are now available, and the 2010-11 MOD Science and Technology Programme expenditure figures have now been confirmed at £422 million; beforehand they could only be forecasted.
	As stated in my answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 49W, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Science and Technology budget will rise in cash terms over the comprehensive spending review period. This Government is committed to this, along with the intention to sustain investment at a minimum of 1.2% of the Defence budget in the recently published White Paper ‘National Security through Technology'.
	The updated figures are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Net MOD Research and development expenditure Total MOD development expenditure Total MOD research expenditure Science and Technology programme expenditure 
			 2008-09 1,991 1,406 584 480 
			 2009-10 (1)1,752 (1)1,177 (1)575 446 
			 2010-11 1,560 1,026 534 (2)422 
			 (1) Revised. (2) Confirmed.

Reserve Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the reserve liability policy for each of the three services; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: Both the Army and the RAF are currently reviewing their reserve liability policy. The Army review is part of the Future Reserves 2020 and Army 2020 work. The Royal Navy has no current plans to review their reserve liability.

Royal Air Force Medical Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Royal Air Force Medical Service were based in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) other countries in each year since 2009.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 As at  1 January  each year 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Scotland 60 60 65 55 
			 Wales 20 20 25 25 
			 England 1,260 1,290 1,340 1,350 
			 Northern Ireland 10 10 — 0 
			 Other countries 80 90 90 95 
			 Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 and “—” denotes a number less than or equal to five.

Royal Flying Corps

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the formation of the Royal Flying Corps.

Andrew Robathan: There will be a number of local ceremonies where units or establishments have a historic connection with the Royal Flying Corps and will be marking their centenaries.

Royal Military Academy

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military leaders from foreign armed forces have received UK military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence does not maintain information about the future careers of those overseas officers trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who return to serve in their respective national armies.
	In the 40 years since its establishment in 1972, it is estimated that some 3,000 overseas officer cadets have attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Sentry Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the E-3D Sentry fleet will return to non-operational routine flying.

Nick Harvey: The RAF chain of command has reviewed the safety evidence relating to the E-3D Sentry and has no remaining safety concerns. Non-operational routine flying with the E-3D Sentry fleet resumed on 24 April 2012.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts his Department holds with Serco; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is

Peter Luff: In financial year 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence made payments against 74 contracts with Serco or associated companies, in the following value ranges:
	
		
			 Contract value banding Number of active contracts 
			 Over £500 million 1 
			 £250 to £500 million 1 
		
	
	
		
			 £100 to £250 million 1 
			 £50 to £100 million 4 
			 £25 to £50 million 7 
			 £10 to £25 million 6 
			 £5 to £10 million 8 
			 £1 to £5 million 8 
			 £500,000 to £1 million 10 
			 £250,000 to £500,000 3 
			 £100,000 to £250,000 7 
			 Under £100,000 18 
			 Total 74 
		
	
	Detailed information on the specific purpose of each contract is not held centrally; I will write to the right hon. Member with further details.
	Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Keith Vaz:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions answered on 30 January 2011 (Official Report, column 922w) about the value and purpose of contracts placed with IBM, Serco and G4S by the Ministry of Defence.
	Providing this information has taken far longer than it should have done, and I can only apologise for the delay in answering your questions.
	I am now in a position to provide you with all that you requested, and copies have been placed in the Library showing details of the current active contracts with IBM, Serco and G4S where the contract value is over £5 million.

Tanks

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many main battle tanks are in the supported fleet for the Army.

Peter Luff: After the strategic defence and security review, the Army's supported main battle tank fleet consists of 227 Challenger 2 tanks.

Tanks

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will estimate (a) the number of each type of main battle tanks to be disposed of following the Strategic Defence and Security Review and (b) the value of each such tank;
	(2)  what option he is considering for the disposal of unsupported challenge main battle tanks.

Peter Luff: It is currently planned that 118 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks will be disposed of following the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The variants are a mix of gun tank and command tank. I am withholding the information on the current value of each vehicle as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	Disposal options currently being considered are: selling, using the disposal fleet for spares; and recycling.

Theft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on theft, if he will publish details of the case that resulted in prosecution and conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The case referred to, relates to the theft of diesel fuel. The offender was sentenced to carry out 200 hours of community service, and pay compensation for the amount of fuel stolen (£974) and £85 costs.

Theft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on theft, how many identified suspected perpetrators faced internal disciplinary action; and what sanctions were applied in each of the last three years.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested by financial year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Theft 
			 Sanctions applied Number of internal disciplinary 
			 Financial year 2009-10  
			 Dismissed 3 
			 Charged on order 1 
			 Fined 1 
			 Discharged 1 
			 Curfew 1 
			   
			 Financial year 2010-11  
			 Reduced to ranks 1 
			 Formal warning following police caution 1 
			 Fined 1 
			 90 days detention, reduced in ranks and dismissed 1 
			 Contract terminated 1 
			 Dismissed from service 4 
			 Charged for loss  
			 Reduced in rank and issued with service compensation order 1 
			 Reduced in rank and fined 1 
			 Police caution followed by dismissal 1 
			 Reprimanded 1 
			 Service compensation order 1 
			 Reduced in rank 1 
			 Oral warning 1 
			 Admonishment 1 
			   
			 Financial year 2011-12  
			 Reduced to ranks 1 
			 Detention followed by dismissal 1 
			 Fine 1 
			 Letter of censure compensation order and fine 1 
			 Individual billed for loss 1 
			 Contract terminated 1 
			 Reduced in rank and received service compensation order 1 
			 Police caution followed by dismissal 1 
			 Enhanced supervision 1 
			 Dismissed and oral warning 1 
			 Charged 1

Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

Andrew Robathan: Defence Ministers do not make use of the Government Car and Despatch Agency's car service. Official road transport for the Secretary of State for Defence is normally provided by the Metropolitan police; it is not the practice to comment on journeys made for security reasons. Defence Ministers (other than the Secretary of State) share a central Ministry of Defence (MOD) car pool with senior military officers and senior officials working in the MOD Main Building; they made 450 journeys in cars from this pool between 1 October 2011 and 31 March 2012. Information on train and coach travel by Defence Ministers over a six-month period could be provided only at disproportionate cost as a manual checking and verification of all individual journeys would be necessary.
	Over the same period, officials made 82,246 train journeys booked through the central Defence Travel contract, through which most travel arrangements are made. Coach travel by officials is not recorded separately, but is included in an expenses category that also covers some other road, rail and sea travel, such as by bus, underground or taxi. Officials do not use the Government Car and Despatch Agency's car service but may use an MOD-provided car, whether with a driver or self drive, where this is justified by the work they are expected to do and gives value for money. Information on such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of Defence job vacancies advertised on 31 March for each year requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of vacancies advertised 
			  31 March 2010 31 March 2011 31 March 2012 
			 Staff Posts (1)440 (2)255 (3)400 
			 Senior Civil Service Posts 30 30 55 
			 (1) Covering 720 individual vacancies. (2) Covering 410 individual vacancies. (3) Covering 520 individual vacancies. Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. 2. The figures include both advertisements seeking internal candidates and external competitions.

Veterans

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on veterans, if he will consider extending the monitoring period of the Career Transition Partnership beyond six and 12 months after leaving the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: The majority of service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life and will not necessarily see a need to contact the Ministry of Defence again after having left. As a result, new contact details are not provided by individuals and so maintaining contact to understand their employment status becomes more difficult. Service leavers can draw on the services and support provided by the Career Transition Partnership up to two years after leaving, but there are no plans to extend the survey conducted by them beyond the first year of discharge.
	Service leavers are entitled to lifetime support job finding through either the Officers Association or the Regular Forces' Employment Association. They can also contact the Veterans' Welfare Service at any time, as well as accessing the variety of support and services provided across Government as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Veterans

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on veterans, what research his Department has supported into the circumstances of veterans for the purposes of ensuring policies are effectively targeted.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 441W, in which I set out the types of research we access to ensure our policies are correctly targeted. In addition, the Government commissioned Professor Hew Strachan of Oxford university shortly after the election to lead an independent taskforce into novel ways of rebuilding the Armed Forces Covenant.
	We are determined to tackle disadvantage encountered as a result of service and have published a new Armed Forces Covenant setting out the key relationships between the armed forces, families and veterans, the Government and society as a whole. At the same time, we published a programme of measures “The Armed Forces Covenant: Today and Tomorrow” and our response to Professor Strachan’s work, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. We have a clear sense in what we are aiming to achieve and will report each year on our progress.

War Widows

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparison he has made of net payments for service widows bereaved (a) before and (b) after 2005; and what plans he has for regularising net payments to service widows to remove the discrepancy between pre and post-2005 widows.

Andrew Robathan: For deaths prior to 6 April 2005 where the death is caused by service, widow(er)s receive a tax-free, index-linked war widow(er)s pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides bereavement benefits for deaths caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Benefits may include a tax-free bereavement grant plus a taxable monthly index-linked income payable for life in the form of the Survivors Guaranteed Income Payment (SGIP). The SGIP is designed to guarantee a minimum level of income for individuals which reflects earnings lost as a result of bereavement. As this payment takes into account future lost pension as well as salary it is adjusted by the amount of pension that an individual receives. The taxation of AFCS awards is determined by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs legislation under which SGIPs are classed as income replacement and are therefore subject to income tax.
	The question of whether improvements made to the AFCS should be extended to war pensioners was considered by Admiral, The Lord Boyce in his review, published in February 2010, CM7798, of the scheme. He recommended that this should not take place and there are no plans to do so.

War Widows

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of making all survivors' guaranteed income payments tax free.

Andrew Robathan: Although the survivor's guaranteed income payments are taxable, the payments are calculated in such a way as to make an element of the award effectively tax free, therefore such a calculation would not be appropriate. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme was reviewed in 2010 by Admiral Lord Boyce and he concluded that the provisions are generally more generous then those found in other schemes.

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to extend the intensive alternatives to custody pilot schemes to other parts of England.

Crispin Blunt: The Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot programme ran from 2008-09 to 2010-11. In July 2011, the MOJ published a short report with the main findings from a range of research exploring the learning from the pilot schemes. Further process evaluations of the IAC pilot sites are currently being concluded and will be published in due course. Additionally, the recently published consultation on Community Sentences explores the use of a robust and intensive punitive community disposal, for offenders who deserve a significant level of punishment, but who are better dealt with in the community, building on the experience of IAC.

Civil Disorder

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 431W, on civil disorder, in how many cases compensation orders have been issued to those convicted of offences relating to the August 2011 public disorder as part of their sentence.

Crispin Blunt: Pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 431W, the data reported centrally to my Department by the courts on offences resulting from the August 2011 public disorder do not include the level of detail to identify how many compensation orders were issued.
	As at midday, 1 February 2012, the number of defendants sentenced for offences resulting from the August 2011 public disorder is 1,483. To answer how many compensation orders were imposed would require us to manually check court files which would incur disproportionate costs.

Crime: Victims

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how plans for local commissioning of victims services will ensure a minimum quality standard across England and Wales;
	(2)  what account his Department has taken of the views of victims and witnesses in developing its proposals for the local commissioning of victims services;
	(3)  what account his Department took of the views of (a) Victim Support and (b) other organisations in developing its proposals for the local commissioning of victims services.

Crispin Blunt: Our proposals for the future commissioning model for victims' services were developed with input from organisations which support or represent victims and witnesses.
	Members of the public and other interested parties were encouraged to respond to the consultation 'Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses', which began on 30 January, and there was an opportunity to participate in a number of consultation events around the country.
	The consultation closed on 22 April. We plan to publish the Government response to the consultation in the summer.

Crime: Victims

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to ensure (a) the quality and consistency of support and (b) fair and equal access to services under proposals for local commissioning of victim and witness services;
	(2)  if he will publish all material related to risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis of the proposals for local commissioning of victim and witness services;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of any additional costs and bureaucracy resulting from the local commissioning of victim and witness services.

Crispin Blunt: In the consultation document ‘Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses' we set out our proposals for the future commissioning of support services for victims. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published at the same time.
	Any new commissioning model would involve changes to administration costs. Should we move to such a model the Government would keep these and the associated bureaucracy to a minimum, with services commissioned through a single process in each area.
	The consultation closed on 22 April. Subject to responses received we will consider what might need to be done to ensure the quality of victims' services, should we move to a local commissioning model.

Early Guilty Plea Scheme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the early guilty plea scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The information is as follows:
	The Early Guilty Plea Scheme is a judicial initiative of the Senior Presiding Judge.
	The Early Guilty Plea Scheme is a process intended to produce an effective and prompt disposal of Crown court guilty pleas but still producing a just and expeditious outcome for all concerned, including victims and witnesses.
	The pilots were evaluated by the judiciary in November 2011 and following positive findings it was agreed that implementation in the Crown court in England and Wales would be commenced from January 2012.
	The phased implementation of the Early Guilty Plea Scheme is being led by resident judges and overseen by the senior presiding judge.
	Any future evaluation of the Early Guilty Plea Scheme will be made by the judiciary.

Employment Tribunals Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment cases were won by (a) employees and (b) employers at each tribunal court in each of the last three years, by category.

Jonathan Djanogly: A claim to an employment tribunal can be made on a number of different grounds, known as jurisdictional complaints. HMCTS publishes annually and quarterly data on how jurisdictional complaints are determined, or otherwise disposed of. Those data are further broken down by main jurisdictional subject matter, but not to individual tribunal centre level.
	Due to the volume of data involved I will arrange for the information necessary to answer the question posed to be placed in the Library of the House. The tables produced will, for each of the last three financial years, set out the number of jurisdictional complaints determined judicially at each employment tribunal office, either in favour of or against a claimant. Data for the financial year 2011-12 will relate only to the first three quarters of that year, as published Official Statistics for the final quarter are not yet available. In summary of those data, the following table sets out the annual grand totals, showing how many claims were successful and unsuccessful at tribunal without being broken down either by jurisdictional type, or tribunal office.
	
		
			 Employment tribunal claims determined judicially 
			  Won by claimant Won by respondent Total 
			 2009-10    
			 Grand total 44,100 19,300 63^60 
			     
			 2010-11    
			 Grand total 42,300 26,500 68,770 
		
	
	
		
			 Quarters 1 to 3 2011-12    
			 Grand total 28,600 16,400 45,010 
			 Notes: The above data should be read in light of the following comments. 1. The outcomes of cases are recorded relative to the claimant, so a case that is successful for the claimant would be unsuccessful for the respondent (generally the employee or worker). The above tables show, in relation to employment tribunals across Great Britain, the number of jurisdictional complaints that can be considered won by the claimant, i.e. cases that were successful at tribunal, or default judgments that were successful for the claimant; or won by the respondent/employer, i.e. cases that were unsuccessful at tribunal, struck out at a preliminary hearing or a default judgment that was unsuccessful. 2. Rounding: All figures are independently rounded and thus may not add to totals. The following schema is used through out the tables: Values less than 100 remain as unit values; Values from 101 to 999 are rounded to the nearest 10; and Values over 1000 are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Status of data: 2009-10 and 2010-11 from ET Central Annual Statistics databases. Q1-3 2011-12 Management Information, provisional and subject to change. 4. Approximately 60% of jurisdictional complaints are either privately settled or ACAS conciliated and a smaller percentage of complaints are invalid, i.e. struck out without a hearing. These categories cannot be attributed to a ‘win’ for either side and so are not included in the figures. Further data are available in published HMCTS statistics.

European Convention on Human Rights

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the initiation of infringement proceedings by the Committee of Ministers under Protocol 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: Article 46(4) of the European Convention on Human Rights, as introduced by Protocol 14 to the convention, allows the Committee of Ministers by a two-thirds majority to refer to the European Court of Human Rights the question whether a state party to the convention has refused to fulfil its obligation under article 46(1) to implement a judgment of the Court. This procedure, which came into force on 1 June 2010, has not yet been used. The Government would consider any proposal for its use on a case-by-case basis.

European Union

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which EU measures in justice and home affairs matters falling under the responsibility of his Department the UK has sought to accept after their adoption by the EU; and in which such cases the European Commission or the Council of the EU decided to require the UK to fulfil particular conditions before it could be bound by the relevant EU measure; what those conditions were in each such case; and whether the UK fulfilled them.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for two measures which the UK opted into after their adoption by the participating member states. The decisions were made under the previous administration. They are:
	Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I), and
	Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 of 18 December 2008 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations.
	In neither case did the European Commission require the UK to fulfil conditions.

Family Courts: Expert Evidence

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 920W, on Family courts: expert evidence, if he will bring forward proposals to allow non-legally qualified people who are not party to the proceeding to refer expert reports in family proceedings to regulators.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government is currently considering ways in which greater information can be released from the family courts, bearing in mind the sensitive issues I set out in my response to question 105146 of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 919W.
	As I made clear in my earlier reply to question 105163 of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 920W, individuals who are not legally qualified may make a complaint to health regulators about the activities of a doctor or other registered health professional about whom they have concerns and request that their fitness to practise be investigated.

Fraud: Fuels

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were arrested for offences related to fuel fraud in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of offences related to fuel fraud in each of the last 10 years; and how many such people received a custodial sentence in each such year.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Data on the number of arrests for offences related to fuel fraud is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of convictions and custodial sentences for the most recent complete years available are given in the following table. Figures for the United Kingdom as a whole are only available for the years 2006-07 to 2011-12. Figures for 2002-03 to 2005-06 are for Northern Ireland only.
	
		
			 Financial year Convictions Custodial sentences 
			 2011-12 5 (1)2 
			 2010-11 8 3 
			 2009-10 1 — 
			 2008-09 10 — 
			 2007-08 6 — 
			 2006-07 6 — 
			 2005-06 4 — 
			 2004-05 0 — 
			 2003-04 4 — 
		
	
	
		
			 2002-03 3 1 
			 (1 )Of which one was suspended.

Judges: Working Class

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of judges from a working-class background.

Kenneth Clarke: I am unable to provide any assessment of the overall proportion of judges from a working-class background as we do not collect information on this.
	We will shortly be bringing forward proposals to move faster towards a more diverse judiciary that is reflective of society with appointment processes that are more transparent and open.

Juries: Doctors

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many medical doctors were summoned for jury service in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many medical doctors (a) asked for a deferment of, (b) were granted a deferment of, (c) asked to be excused from and (d) were excused from jury service in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: I am unable to provide the information requested, since these data are not collected. The jury summons form does not request information about the occupations of potential jurors, unless they are employed by the police force, HM Prison Service or a prosecuting authority.

Justice for All Programme

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he monitors the effectiveness of police training provided through his Department's Justice for All programme.

Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	The Justice for All programme works on police training in Nigeria. Effectiveness of training is measured through independent annual public perception surveys conducted in each partner state. Surveys are also conducted in two comparable non-supported states to have comparative evidence.

Justice for All Programme

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which countries his Department's Justice for All programme has provided police training since November 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	The Justice for All programme works with the police in Nigeria. The programme trains the Nigerian Police Force on community policing in five states and supports the roll-out to all 36 states of a federal Police “force order” (policy) on community policing.

Meetings

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had any meetings with (i) Simon Hoare, (ii) CGMS, (iii) Freshwater UK, (iv) Intermodality LLP, (v) BNP Paribas Real Estate, (vi) Helio Europe and (vii) Bircham Dyson Bell LLP since May 2010; and whether he has received any recent representations from each such individual or organisation since May 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: Neither I nor my ministerial team have held meetings with (i) Simon Hoare, (ii) CGMS, (iii) Freshwater UK, (iv) Intermodality LLP, (v) BNP Paribas Real Estate, (vi) Helio Europe and (vii) Bircham Dyson Bell LLP since May 2010.
	The Department publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and external organisations as well as meetings between permanent secretaries and external organisations. Quarters from October 2011 will be published in due course. This can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports
	The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by all officials in the Department. The Ministry of Justice receives a variety of representations from a number of legal representatives and companies on behalf of a wide range of clients. To collate this information for the time period stated would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.

Members: Correspondence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Witham of 8 February 2012 on the release of Bradley Wernham.

Kenneth Clarke: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 24 April to explain that my officials will be responding to her questions under the Freedom of Information Act. She will receive a response by 9 May. I apologise for the delay.

Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have (a) 50 to 100 and (b) 100 or more convictions.

Crispin Blunt: The table provides a summary of the number of previous convictions for an offender with a conviction which occurred between the years 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Number of previous convictions for offenders with an index offence between 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales 
			 Number of previous convictions Number of offenders 
			 Between 50-99 3,518 
			 100 or more 257

Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions are held by the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions.

Crispin Blunt: The table shows the number of previous convictions for the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions. The number of previous convictions included in the answer are prior to the offender's most recent conviction between the years 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Number of previous convictions for the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions, with an index offence between 2007 and 2010 
			  Number of convictions 
			 1 567 
			 2 399 
			 3 376 
			 4 359 
			 5 332 
			 6 321 
			 7 313 
			 8 310 
			 9 302 
			 10 268

Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have (a) one conviction, (b) two convictions and (c) three or more convictions for a (i) knife related, (ii) firearms related and (iii) rape offence.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of previous convictions for knife, firearms and rape offences for those offenders convicted of the same offence in 2010 in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice is unable to identify offences which may be knife-related or firearms-related but are not specifically knife or firearms offence. These are the latest available figures for a calendar year.
	The figures have been derived from dataset used for table A7.18 of Crime Justice Statistics, England and Wales 2010 published by MOJ on 26 May 2011. The figures relate to separate sentencing occasions in 2010; where an offender was sentenced on the same occasion for several offences, it is the primary offence that has been counted. Crime Justice Statistics, England and Wales 2010 report can found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-stats-quarterly-dec10.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Offenders sentenced for knife, firearms or rape offences in 2010 by number of previous convictions for the same offence 
			   Previous convictions for same offence 
			  All offenders 0 1 2 3+ 
			 Knife(1) 11,099 8,722 1,463 509 405 
			 Firearms(2) 1,822 1,671 88 34 29 
			 Rape 1,082 1,056 17 6 3 
			 (1) Figures include knife possession offences and offensive weapon possession offences. (2) Figures include firearms possession offences, firearms certificate-related offences and miscellaneous firearms offences.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he will take to ensure in any plans for local commissioning that there is a minimum quality standard in all areas;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of devolved commissioning of victims' services to police and crime commissioners on the current level of victims services provided.

Crispin Blunt: In the consultation document "Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses" published on 30 January we set out our proposals for the future commissioning of support services for victims including the proposal that police and crime commissioners take on local commissioning responsibilities. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published at the same time.
	The consultation closed on 22 April. Subject to responses received we will consider what might need to be done to ensure the quality of victims' services, should we move to a local commissioning model.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will consider ring fencing resources spent on victims’ services when they are devolved to police and crime commissioners;
	(2)  what account he took of the views of victims and witnesses in developing his proposals for local commissioning of victims’ services;
	(3)  how plans for local commissioning of victims’ services will ensure a minimum quality standard across England and Wales.

Crispin Blunt: Our proposals for local commissioning took account of input from organisations which support or represent victims and witnesses. The consultation closed on 22 April. As we consider the many responses we have received, we shall take account of points made to us about ring-fencing and about quality standards.

Prisoners’ Release

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners were released early on (a) compassionate and (b) medical grounds in each of the last five years; and how many such prisoners had their release authorised by the (i) Secretary of State and (ii) prison authorities;
	(2)  how many prisoners serving (a) indeterminate sentences and (b) life sentences were released on (i) compassionate and (b) medical grounds in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many prisoners who were released from prison on (a) compassionate and (b) medical grounds were, after release, (i) recalled to prison for a breach of licence and (ii) convicted of a further offence in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many convicted (a) murderers, (b) rapists, (c) child sex offenders, (d) sex offenders and (e) violent criminals were released early from a custodial sentence on (i) compassionate and (ii) medical grounds in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, section 248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (for determinate sentences) and section 30 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (for indeterminate sentences), the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), may release a prisoner on licence at any point in the sentence if he is satisfied that “exceptional circumstances” justify the prisoner's release on compassionate grounds. These decisions may be taken by the Secretary of State, or officials acting on his behalf.
	When considering applications for release on compassionate grounds, the following criteria are applied:
	the release of the prisoner will not put the safety of the public at risk;
	a decision to approve release would not normally be made on the basis of facts of which the sentencing or appeal court was aware; and
	there is some specific purpose to be served by early release.
	Compassionate release may be considered on the basis of a prisoner's medical condition or as a result of tragic family circumstances. In medical circumstances, the criteria to be applied are:
	the prisoner is suffering from a terminal illness and death is likely to occur soon; or the prisoner is bedridden or similarly incapacitated; and
	the risk of re-offending is past; and
	there are adequate arrangements for the prisoner's care and treatment outside prison; and
	early release will bring some significant benefit to the prisoner or his/her family.
	Consideration for compassionate release as a result of tragic family circumstances (which only applies to determinate sentence prisoners) may, for example, be given where a spouse has died or is seriously ill and there is no-one to care for young children. Whether such an application is successful will depend upon the risk to the welfare of the children and the availability of support from other family members, friends or social services. Similarly, if a partner or parent is terminally ill, much will depend on what other help and support is available to him or her.
	A full dataset for the information requested is available only for the past three years. Information prior to this will be contained within individual prisoner case files; to retrieve these files and provide the information would exceed cost limits.
	The number of prisoners released on compassionate grounds, in the past three years, by sentence type and reason for release is shown in table 1.
	Of these, nine had their release authorised by officials on behalf of the Secretary of State and 19 were authorised by Ministers.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Sentence type Reason for release 2009 2010 2011 
			 Determinate Family 0 0 1 
			 Determinate Medical 8 8 4 
			 Indeterminate sentence for Public protection Medical 0 1 0 
			 Life sentence Medical 1 3 2 
		
	
	A prisoner released on compassionate grounds must comply with the conditions imposed upon him and is liable to be recalled to prison if he fails to do so.
	One prisoner released on compassionate grounds in the past three years was recalled for breach of licence in 2011.
	We have not been notified of any prisoner who has been released on compassionate grounds over the past three years and who was subsequently convicted of a further offence.
	Compassionate releases by the specified offence categories and reason for release are shown in table 2. Other offences are shown for completeness.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Offence category Reason for release 2009 2010 2011 
			 Murder Medical 1 2 1 
			 Other violent offences Medical 2 1 1 
			 Sexual offences against children Medical 0 0 1 
			 Other offences Family 0 0 1 
			 Other offences Medical 6 9 3

Prisoners: E-mail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which prisons participate in the email a prisoner scheme; what checks are in place at such prisons to monitor such emails; and what estimate he has made of the number of contacts through the scheme each prisoner has had in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: There are currently 119 prisons using the services of Emailaprisoner.com and these are spread widely across the prison estate—Annex A shows a full list of the participating prisons.
	The system does not allow prisoners or their correspondents to directly exchange e-mails, it is merely an alternative way for a prisoner’s family or friends to send an ‘electronic’ letter (e-mail) to the prison as opposed to the normal postal service. The ‘e-mail letter’ is printed by staff and then passed to the prisoner and therefore monitored in the same way as postal correspondence.
	It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of contacts through the scheme each prisoner has had in the last three years as such information is not held centrally. To provide such an estimate would require the collection of data from each prison and this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	Annex A
	Emailaprisoner.com is operating in the following establishments:
	Altcourse
	Ashfield
	Askham Grange
	Bedford
	Birmingham
	Blantyre House
	Blundeston
	Brinsford
	Bristol
	Bronzefield
	Buckley Hall
	Bullingdon
	Bullwood Hall
	Bure
	Canterbury
	Chelmsford
	Coldingley
	Dartmoor
	Deerbolt
	Doncaster
	Dorchester
	Dovegate
	Dover
	Downview
	Drake Hall
	Durham
	East Sutton Park
	Eastwood Park
	Erlestoke
	Everthorpe
	Exeter
	Featherstone
	Feltham
	Ford
	Foston Hall
	Frankland
	Full Sutton
	Garth
	Gartree
	Glen Parva
	Grendon
	Guys Marsh
	Hatfield
	Haverigg
	Hewell
	Highpoint
	Hindley
	Holloway Hull
	Huntercombe
	Isis
	Isle of Wight Cluster (Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst)
	Kennet
	Kingston
	Kirkham
	Kirklevington Grange
	Lancaster Farms
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lewes
	Leyhill
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Littlehey
	Liverpool
	Long Lartin
	Low Newton
	Lowdham Grange
	Maidstone
	Manchester
	Moorland
	Morton Hall
	New Hall
	Northallerton
	Northumberland
	Nottingham
	Onley
	Parc
	Pentonville
	Peterborough
	Portland
	Prescoed
	Preston
	Ranby
	Reading
	Risley
	Rochester
	Rye Hill
	Send
	Sheppey Cluster (Elmley and Stanford Hill)
	Shepton Mallet
	Shrewsbury
	Spring Hill
	Stafford
	Stocken
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Sudbury
	Swansea
	The Mount
	Thorn Cross
	Usk
	Verne
	Wandsworth
	Warren Hill
	Wayland
	Wealstun
	Wellingborough
	Wetherby
	Whatton
	Whitemoor
	Winchester
	Wolds
	Woodhill
	Wormwood Scrubs
	Wymott

Prisoners: Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much in prisoner earnings has been used to fund support services for victims of crime;
	(2)  how many prisoners have had a net weekly wage exceeding £20 since September 2011;
	(3)  how many prisoners have had their earnings deducted to fund victims support services since September 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The Prisoners’ Earnings Act 1996 was brought into force on 26 September 2011. It enables prison governors to apply a levy of up to 40% on the wages of low-risk prisoners who work outside of prison on temporary licence, in order to prepare for their eventual release.
	In accordance with the statutory provisions, the money goes to Victim Support to enable them to provide direct, practical, paid for services for victims. We intend to publish data on the money raised from these prisoners’ earnings next month.
	National Offender Management Service (NOMS) central recording system does not separately record the number of prisoners working inside prison who receive a weekly wage. To identify these costs would require examining and collating a high number of payment records from each establishment and this would incur disproportionate costs.

Prisons

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much he plans to spend on (a) building new prisons and (b) providing new prison places at existing prisons during the comprehensive spending review period.

Crispin Blunt: Long-term decisions on prison capacity will be taken in the light of future policy developments.
	The Prison Capacity programme, which started delivering the first of 13,163 additional places in 2007, is nearing completion at an overall cost of £1.64 billion.

Prisons: Passive Smoking

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many non-smoking (a) current and (b) former prisoners in the UK have brought cases against HM Courts and Tribunals Service due to illnesses caused by secondary smoking in the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department is unaware of any claims made by prisoners brought against HM Courts and Tribunals Service due to illnesses caused by secondary smoke in the last three years. HM Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for prisoners while they are held in holding cells at magistrates and Crown courts and has operated a non-smoking policy at these venues since 1 July 2007 when the smoking ban law was introduced in England.

Probation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the savings which could be achieved in (a) a full financial year and (b) a Parliament by reducing the number of probation trusts in England and Wales to between six and 10.

Crispin Blunt: On 27 March 2012, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), published proposals for the reform of probation services alongside those for the reform of community sentences. One of our proposals is to give probation trusts the role of primary commissioners. It is possible that this might lead to there being fewer trusts than at present, but the eventual number of trusts, and their size, will depend on a range of factors, on which we are seeking views as part of the consultation process. We will announce our plans in due course, once we have considered the responses we receive.

Probation

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what savings were made when London Probation was reorganised from five separate areas to one in Greater London in 2000-01.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information. At that time, probation services were financed under arrangements different from those currently operating and involving local government. Identifying the requested information, if it is still extant, would involve disproportionate cost.

Procurement: Small Business

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's procurement expenditure went to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Kenneth Clarke: The proportion of Ministry of Justice (MOJ) spends with small and medium enterprises is as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Proportion represented as a percentage (%) 
			 2009-10 9 
			 2010-11 16 
			 2011-12 (April to December 2011) 33

Repatriation: Democratic Republic of Congo

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of whether the Democratic Republic of Congo is a safe country to which to repatriate prisoners; and what the evidential basis is for that assessment.

Crispin Blunt: We do not have an existing mechanism for repatriation of Congolese prisoners and have not made an assessment of the conditions under which they would be returned. One of the relevant assessments made before repatriating prisoners is of prison conditions, using UKBA operational guidance notes and through regular liaison with British embassies and high commissions overseas.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of his Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many of such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The number of total retirements and early retirements for 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 and 1 April 2011 to 31 January 2012 (the last published date of data) is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Period Total retirements in the period Early retirements as part of the total 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1,764 1,018 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 January 2012 2,105 1,228

Sexual Offences

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many individuals convicted of (a) rape and (b) sexual offences were aged (i) 16 years or under, (ii) 16 to 18 years, (iii) 18 to 21 years and (iv) 21 years and over when the offence was committed in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the average custodial sentence was for an offender convicted of (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences and aged (i) 16 years or under, (ii) 16 to 18 years, (iii) 18 to 21 years and (iv) 21 years and over when the offence was committed in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody and the average determinate custodial sentence length (months), for rape offences and other sexual offences, by age breakdown at the time of court appearance, in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication on 24 May 2012.
	
		
			 Persons found guilty at all courts, sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence and the average custodial sentence length (months) (1) , for rape and other sexual offences by age breakdown in England and Wales, 2006-10 (2, 3) 
			  2006 2007 2008 (4) 
			 Age breakdown and offence Found guilty Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length Found guilty Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length Found guilty Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length 
			 Under 16          
			 Rape or attempted rape 39 16 45.4 38 18 34.9 39 22 46.7 
			 Other sexual offences 211 15 11.9 227 13 21.2 201 19 12.5 
			           
			 16 to under 18          
			 Rape or attempted rape 46 36 46.2 45 41 51.6 52 43 46.9 
			 Other sexual offences 196 34 15.4 233 31 14.2 225 34 13.4 
			           
			 18 to under 21          
			 Rape or attempted rape 79 72 66.0 81 73 55.5 83 75 64.7 
			 Other sexual offences 291 87 17.1 331 123 22.6 295 111 22.2 
			           
			 21 and over          
			 Rape or attempted rape 699 680 85.7 709 689 91.7 748 725 97.1 
			 Other sexual offences 3,329 1,866 28.5 3,395 1,819 28.8 3,473 1,971 28.6 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 2010 
			 Age breakdown and offence Found guilty Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length Found guilty Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length 
			 Under 16       
			 Rape or attempted rape 29 14 40.8 38 11 42.0 
			 Other sexual offences 231 8 13.0 268 16 12.2 
			        
			 16 to under 18       
			 Rape or attempted rape 58 44 57.9 42 34 54.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Other sexual offences 183 33 17.6 237 34 15.9 
			        
			 18 to under 21       
			 Rape or attempted rape 82 75 62.3 93 78 63.3 
			 Other sexual offences 293 108 22.6 394 159 23.9 
			        
			 21 and over       
			 Rape or attempted rape 828 808 101.5 885 861 103.0 
			 Other sexual offences 3,403 1,897 30.8 3,827 2,094 31.8 
			 (1) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Translation Services

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the number of unregistered interpreters illegally working in Crown and magistrates' courts in the last five years; and what assessment his Department has made of the possibility of a miscarriage of justice in each case which such an interpreter provided interpretation for.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information about unregistered interpreters working in Crown and magistrates courts since 2007 is not held centrally and this information was either not collected or is not readily accessible across the courts to enable collection.
	Prior to January 2012, the Crown and magistrates courts predominantly sourced interpreters from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). NRPSI took responsibility for the status of interpreters on their register but did not take responsibility for ensuring that the correct, qualified interpreter was assigned.
	Under the current Ministry of Justice agreement relating to language services, the contractor must ensure the continuous training and development of interpreters and all interpreters are required to abide by a comprehensive code of conduct which emphasises that they should only undertake assignments for which they are competent.
	The contractor must ensure that all interpreters/translators can verify their identity and credentials for every assignment. The contractor has a formal investigation process for dealing with reported issues with an interpreter. If the quality of any linguist is in question, the contractor will carry out the quality checks as highlighted in the investigation. Following this investigation the contractor will either change the qualification status of the linguist while they carry out or recommend additional training or will discontinue their engagement and strike them off the register.

Victim Support Schemes

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the right of victims of crime to receive information about their cases within a specific timeframe.

Crispin Blunt: Our consultation 'Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses' closed on 22 April. One of its key proposals is that there should be a new, clearer, Victims' Code and we have sought views on a set of principles on which we think a new Code should be based. The provision of information to victims will be one of the matters to be considered in drafting a new Code.

Victim Support Schemes

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to monitor and enforce a new victim's code.

Crispin Blunt: In our consultation document 'Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses', published on 30 January, we set out far reaching proposals for improving services and support for victims and witnesses. A key proposal is that there should be a new, clearer, Victims' Code and we sought views on a set of principles on which we think the new Code should be based. The consultation closed on 22 April and we plan to publish the Government's response to the consultation in the summer.
	As we begin to draft the new Code we will consider how best to monitor and enforce it. There will be a further consultation on the Code before we lay it before Parliament.

Victim Support Schemes

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what evidence his Department used to estimate the cost of devolving the commissioning of victims' services; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such commissioning on the quality of service for victims and witnesses;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the views of victims and witnesses of crime in developing his proposals for local commissioning of victims' services;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the views of (a) Victim Support and (b) other organisations working to support victims of crime in developing his proposals for local commissioning of victims' services;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to ensure local commissioning of victims' services results in the achievement of a minimum quality standard across the country;
	(5)  if he will consider ring-fencing the resources spent on victims' services when they are devolved to police and crime commissioners;
	(6)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that resources spent on victims' services are maintained when responsibility for commissioning these services is devolved to police and crime commissioners.

Crispin Blunt: In the consultation document "Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses", published on 30 January, we set out our proposals for the future commissioning of support services for victims including the proposal that Police and Crime Commissioners take on local commissioning responsibilities. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published at the same time.
	The proposals were developed with input from organisations which support or represent victims and witnesses. Members of the public and other interested parties were encouraged to respond to the consultation and there was an opportunity to participate in a number of consultation events around the country.
	The consultation also set out proposals to raise up to an additional £50 million annually from the Victim Surcharge and other financial impositions, to be used for support services for victims and witnesses in addition to the considerable sums already made available by the Government for that purpose.
	The consultation closed on 22 April and as we consider the many responses we have received we shall certainly look at how to ensure that funding for victims and witnesses is used as intended. We will also consider what might need to be done to ensure the quality of victims' services, should we move to a local commissioning model.

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which consultation and discussion events on his Department's consultation paper Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses Ministers from his Department attended;
	(2)  when he expects to finalise his Department's Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses consultation paper; and what timetable he has set for further work in this area;
	(3)  which organisations (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met during consultation on the Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses paper; and whether his Department declined to meet any organisations.

Crispin Blunt: The consultation closed on 22 April. We plan to publish the Government's response in the summer once we have considered the comments received.
	As part of the consultation process we held eight events, including one in Edinburgh in partnership with the Scottish Government. I had committed to attend two events, one in London on 5 March and the other in Manchester on 14 March. I was disappointed that I had to withdraw from the former at the very last minute for personal reasons but attended and spoke at the latter. I also spoke at the All Party Parliamentary Group on victims and witnesses of crime on 21 March.
	Our eight consultation events were attended by about 300 people from around 200 organisations.
	It is not always practicable for Ministers or officials to accommodate specific requests for meetings. That was the case with a request from the organisation SAMM Abroad, a support group for families, partners and friends of the victims of murder and manslaughter, but the organisation was invited to our consultation events and I understand they have responded formally to the consultation.
	In addition to the events referred to above my officials attended, by invitation, a meeting of the Victims' Services Alliance, of which many victims' organisations are a part, and a conference held by Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, The consultation was discussed at both of these events. Officials also had several meetings with individual organisations to discuss the consultation.

CABINET OFFICE

Addison Lee

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish details of any contracts held by Departments with Addison Lee.

Francis Maude: As part of my Department’s transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder website at:
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk

Alcoholic Drinks

Tom Clarke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of average alcohol consumption in the UK in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of average alcohol consumption in the UK in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date.
	Figures for average alcohol consumption in 2011 and 2012 are not yet available.
	Figures for 2010 are available, from the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF). However, the GLF covers Great Britain only, so a UK estimate is not available. Survey results show that average weekly alcohol consumption in Great Britain was 11.5 units per adult in 2010 (and was 11.9 units in 2009).
	The 2010 General Lifestyle Survey drinking statistics are based on information provided by 13,333 respondents aged 16 and over living in private households in Great Britain. The survey defines an adult as someone aged 16 years and over. A unit of alcohol is defined as 10 ml of pure ethanol. This is equivalent to a standard measure of spirits (25ml at 40% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)).
	The latest published figures on average alcohol consumption in Great Britain are included in the General Lifestyle Survey Overview Report, available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ghs/general-lifestyle-survey/2010/index.html
	Figures for alcohol consumption in 2011 are due to be released in January 2013.
	It is important to note that social surveys consistently record lower levels of consumption than would be expected from HMRC data on alcohol sales. This may be due to underreporting of alcohol consumption by respondents.

Government Departments: Databases

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the cost of full implementation of the G-Cloud and the Government Application Store.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The estimated cost for the G-Cloud programme (including the CloudStore) is £4.93 million. This is being met from the Cabinet Office SR10 settlement and is subject to the ERG spend and controls process. The savings it is expected the programme will deliver are estimated at £340 million.

Government Departments: Databases

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on plans to consolidate government data centres.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The Government's plans for data centre consolidation were laid down in the Government ICT Strategy Implementation Plan published in October 2011.
	The Government is currently on track against this plan, and an update will be published shortly in the Green ICT Strategy.

Government Departments: Databases

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many data centres the Government maintained in (a) May 2010, (b) March 2011, (c) September 2011 and (d) March 2012.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 April 2012
	In February 2012, Cabinet Office collected baseline information on the number of data centres maintained by Departments in order to progress commitments to consolidate and rationalise data centres to help save energy and costs in line with Government ICT Strategy.
	This information will be published alongside ICT Strategy annual update report, due shortly.
	Information on the number of data centres across Government prior to this February 2012 is not available.

Government Departments: Databases

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made towards the targets set by the Government in March 2011 to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of Government data centres.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The Green ICT strategy published at end of October 2011 made a number of commitments around data centres. These will be reported in the Green ICT strategy first annual report and assessment due to be published shortly.
	The Cabinet Office has collected the baseline information from Departments around the cost and energy consumed by Government data centres and their servers and is actively working to consolidate and rationalise Government data centres which will save energy and costs.

Government Departments: Databases

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on the implementation of G-Cloud computing.

Francis Maude: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The G-Cloud programme is making good progress.

Local Government: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of local authorities have placed their contracts on the Government's Contract Finder website.

Francis Maude: Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award. Local authorities are not required, but are encouraged, to use Contracts Finder. Nevertheless, as of 25 April 2012, 75 of the 353 English local authorities (21%) had published contracts on Contracts Finder.

Local Government: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to place their procurement contracts on the Government's Contract Finder website.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has been working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government so that they can assist with embedding the use of Contracts Finder within local authorities.
	We have been raising awareness of Contracts Finder through various speaking engagements and demonstrations to local authorities.

Population

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the projected population in the Bradford district in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question what estimate has been made of the projected population in the Bradford district in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years.
	Estimates of future population are available as population projections. The most recent subnational population projections are based on mid-year population estimates for 2010.
	The total population of Bradford local authority is projected to be (a) 537,800 persons at mid-year 2017, (b) 559,100 persons at mid-year 2022, and (c) 594,100 persons at mid-year 2032.

Public Appointments

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of public appointments are remunerated; and what the average daily rate of pay is for such appointments.

Francis Maude: Public appointment roles vary significantly and rates of remuneration if provided depend on the nature of individual posts.
	The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the proportion of public appointments that are remunerated.

Public Appointments

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department has issued on deciding whether a public appointment should be remunerated; and what criteria should be considered by those making such decisions.

Francis Maude: Responsibility for determining whether a public appointment is to be remunerated lies with the sponsoring Department. The Cabinet Office is currently revising its guidance to Departments on public appointments and will publish this shortly. Previous guidance on remuneration and related issues is contained in “Making and Managing Public Appointments, a Guide for Departments” which is currently available on the civil service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/public-appointments

Public Sector: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Public Service (Social Value) Act 2012 are implemented during new procurement negotiations.

Francis Maude: When it is brought into force, the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 will require contracting authorities to consider the full social environmental and economic value of public services procurements at the pre-procurement stage. Public procurers following best practice will already be considering these factors to ensure that their services are fit for purpose and represent value for money.

Public Sector: Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made in reducing fraud, overdue debt and errors in public procurement; and how much has been saved through such initiatives since May 2010.

Francis Maude: This Government is providing fresh leadership and focus on reducing fraud, error and debt owed to Government. In 2010, I established a Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce.
	The taskforce published two reports earlier this year setting out this Government’s commitment to tackling fraud, error and debt in all areas of Government business including public procurement. On procurement, the Home Office and Department for Transport have undertaken spend recovery audits, identifying overpayments to suppliers caused by fraud or error, and recovering the resultant debt. This has allowed the two Departments to recover £4.5 million between them.
	All Government Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies will undertake a ‘spend-recovery’ audit on their accounts payable system by December 2013.
	The Cabinet Office will provide support across Government to ensure every Department carries out a similar spend recovery audit by December 2013 generating estimated savings of between £50 million and £100 million.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many (a) civil servants and (b) senior civil servants have retired from his Department since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many staff of his Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The following table sets out details of staff who have retired from the Cabinet Office during 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 indicating in brackets those taking approved early retirement.
	
		
			 Grade 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total 
			 SCS 4(1) 3(1) 5(3) 8(3) 6 26 
			 A/Band A 3(1) 1 6(3) 2(1) — 12 
			 B2/Band B2 3(2) 3(3) 3 5 — 14 
			 B1/Band B1 4(3) 2 4 4 2 16 
			 C/Band C 6(3) 2 4 5 — 17 
			 Total 20 11 22 24 8 85

Vacancies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office does not retain records on the number of open vacancies on particular dates. However, the Department maintains a deliberately high level of turnover as part of its resourcing model, ensuring that it can bring in the best talent from other Government Departments and more widely to ensure that it has the skills and experience it needs to address changing priorities.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the comments of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 341WH, what recent advice he has received on whether a minimum unit price for alcohol could be incompatible with article 34 of the Treaty of the European Union.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The advice which the Government has received on this issue is subject to legal privilege. We do not, therefore, believe it appropriate to disclose this advice (or any summary of it). The Government is currently in discussions with the EU Commission on this issue.

Annuities

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy that annuity brokers should only receive fees from the prospective annuitant and prohibit all payments to annuity brokers by annuity providers and their agents;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy that application fees charged to prospective annuitants seeking an enhanced or impaired life annuity are subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is reforming the retail investment market through the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). From 31 December 2012, all firms that give advice on retail investment products to retail clients will have to comply with new rules on adviser charging. Under adviser charging, firms that give advice are paid by charges that are set out up-front and agreed with their clients, rather than by commissions set by product providers.
	Annuities are retail investment products and are therefore in scope of the RDR's adviser charging rules. Providers of annuities will be prohibited from paying intermediaries, such as annuity brokers, commission for advised sales. Commission is still payable for non-advised sales.
	The Disabilities Discrimination Act 1995 was incorporated into the Equality Act 2010. Prospective annuitants seeking an enhanced or impaired life annuity who fall within the definition set out in the Act are subject to the provisions of this Act.

Average Earnings

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of taxpayers in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland earning (i) £150,000 to £200,000, (ii) £200,000 to £250,000, (iii) £250,000 to £300,000, (iv) £300,000 to £350,000, (v) £350,000 to £400,000, (vi) £400,000 to £450,000, (vii) £450,000 to £500,000, (viii) £5000,000 to £1,000,000 and (ix) over £1,000,000 in (A) 2012-13 and (B) each of the next three financial years; and what the average effect on income tax liabilities will be of the changes on income tax thresholds and rates made by his Budget Statement.

David Gauke: Reliable projections of taxpayer numbers at specific high income levels are not available for Government Office Regions or lower geographies.
	Budget 2012 announced a number of measures principally affecting individuals with income over £150,000. Taken together, it is estimated that the reduction in the additional rate of income tax to 45%, the 25% cap on income tax reliefs above £50,000 and the increase in stamp duty rates for high value properties will result in an expected average contribution to the Exchequer from those with incomes above £150,000 of an additional £1,300 per year.

Banks: EU Law

Marcus Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect on UK borrowers of the EU Bank Capital Requirements Directive.

Mark Hoban: On 20 July 2011, the European Commission adopted proposals on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, which will replace the current capital requirements directive with a regulation and a directive. The first is the draft regulation on prudential requirements and the second is the draft directive on the access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms. I refer the hon. Member to my Explanatory Memorandum on the Commission's proposals, of which copies are available in the Library.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on which dates his special adviser Rupert Harrison has received or sent emails relating to official business, from any email account, to any representative or senior employee of (a) News Corp, (b) BSkyB and (c) other companies owned by Rupert Murdoch in the last two years;
	(2)  on how many occasions his special adviser Rupert Harrison has (a) met and (b) exchanged emails with Graham McWilliam of BSkyB in the last two years.

Chloe Smith: Our records show that Rupert Harrison has not sent or received any emails relating to official business to any representative or senior employee of News Corp, BSkyB or any other company owned by Rupert Murdoch in the last two years. Nor has he met or exchanged emails with Graham McWilliam.

Business: Government Assistance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 77W, on business: Government assistance, whether state aid approval has been received for the projects mentioned.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 April 2012
	The status of state aid approval for the three policies announced at Budget 2011 mentioned is as follows:
	(a) State aid approval has been received regarding changes announced in Budget 2011 to the research and development tax credits for small and medium-sized enterprises.
	(b) The Government expects a positive decision from the European Commission on state aid approval for the reforms to Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts to be adopted next month.
	(c) The Government secured state aid approval for an 80% discount from the climate change levy for the metal recycling industries until 31 March 2018.

Business: Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis the £1 billion reduction in costs to business over five years as a result of the rationalisation of environmental regulations was calculated.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The simplification proposals announced under the Red Tape Challenge environment theme on 19 March relate to a wide range of policy areas and are expected to provide significant savings to business once implemented. The full set of proposals is explained at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb13728-red-tape-environment.pdf
	These proposals will, in most cases, require individual impact assessments to be prepared to both support further consultations and before regulatory changes are finalised and introduced. Nevertheless the announcement itself specified estimated cost savings for three of the 185 measures listed to be changed. These alone are calculated to provide combined savings £174 million per annum and we are confident that the entire package of proposals, once implemented, will therefore save more than £1 billion over five years.
	A more detailed implementation plan will now be prepared before the summer recess. This will enable further details to be made available, including the expected timetable for taking forward each of the proposals.

Caravans

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of holiday caravans sold each year which conform with British Standard 3632.

David Gauke: holding answer 18 April 2012
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures—in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document ‘VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies’, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from holiday caravans and a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

Child Benefit

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households with an income over £50,000 per annum which will retain the full level of child benefit after the implementation of the proposals in his 2010 Budget.

David Gauke: holding answer 18 April 2012
	In 2013-14 there will be approximately 920,000 households with family income above £50,000 per year that will retain all of their child benefit.

Child Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of child benefit fraud his Department is currently investigating.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	HM Revenue and Customs' Benefits and Credits Claimant compliance team currently have 3,556 child benefit cases open for investigation.

Child Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time for a child benefit fraud investigation to be concluded was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The information is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Average time taken to conclude a child benefit fraud investigation (weeks) 
			 2010 11 
			 2011 12 
			 2012 to date 12

Child Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints his Department has received on the length of time taken to complete a child benefit fraud investigation in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The information requested is not available.

Child Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints of child benefit fraud were upheld in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April2012
	The information requested is not available.

Child Benefit

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials worked in the child benefit fraud team in his Department in each region in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	HM Revenue and Customs' Benefits and Credits Operations staff that work on child benefit compliance cases are centrally located. The information is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent staff 
			 2010 33 
			 2011 29 
			 2012 23

Child Benefit

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of child benefit in St Helens South and Whiston constituency who will no longer be entitled to receive it following the implementation of his proposed changes in January 2013;
	(2)  how many successful claimants of child tax credits resident in St Helens South and Whiston constituency waited longer than 31 days from the date of claiming to the payment of the award in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what the average length of time taken was to process their claims in each year.

David Gauke: The number of recipients of child benefit in St Helens South and Whiston constituency who will no longer be entitled to receive it following the implementation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s proposed changes in January 2013 is not available, due to small sample sizes.
	The number of successful claimants of child tax credits resident in St Helens South and Whiston constituency who waited longer than 31 days from the date of claiming to the payment of the award would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Child Tax Credit

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many families received the family element of child tax credit in the Bury North constituency as at 31 December (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011;
	(2)  how many families received the child element of child tax credit in the Bury North constituency as at 31 December (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011;
	(3)  how many families received the disabled child element of child tax credit in the Bury North constituency as at 31 December (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011;
	(4)  how many families received the severely disabled child element of child tax credit in the Bury North constituency as at 31 December (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

David Gauke: The number of families benefiting from the family and child elements of child tax credit is available in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2009-10 Geographical Analysis’, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-may11.pdf
	Data for Bury North can be found in table 3. The number of families benefiting from the family element is the sum of total out-of-work families and in-work families with children. This is approximately 9.4 thousand for Bury North.
	The number of families benefiting from the child element is the sum of total out-of-work families and in-work families with children receiving WTC and CTC or CTC above the family element. This is approximately 6.6 thousand for Bury North.
	2009-10 is the latest year for which information is currently available. 2010-11 data will be published on 31 May 2012 and 2011-12 will be available in May 2013.
	The rest of the information requested is provided in the following table. Again, the latest information available is for 2009-10.
	
		
			 Number  of families receiving the disabled child and severely disabled child elements of child tax credit in Bury North in 2009-10 
			  Thousand 
			 Disabled child element 0.3 
			 Severely disabled child element 0.1

Child Tax Credit

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Redditch constituency received the child element of child tax credit in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

David Gauke: This information is available for 2009-10 in the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2009-10 Geographical Analysis”, available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-may11.pdf
	Data for Redditch can be found in table 3. The number of families benefiting from the child element is the sum of total out-of-work families and in-work families with children receiving WTC and CTC or CTC above the family element. This is approximately 6,200 for Redditch.
	2009-10 is the latest year for which information is currently available. 2010-11 data will be published on 31 May 2012 and 2011-12 will be available in May 2013.

Child Tax Credit

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families will no longer be entitled to tax credits as a result of the decision in the June 2010 Budget to taper the family element of child tax credit straight after the child element.

David Gauke: This information is not available.
	The measure referred to in the question is the abolition of the second threshold for child tax credit and is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review. All of the tax credits measures interact with each other and isolating the impact of any of these measures will not be representative of the overall change in a family’s tax credit award.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the packages of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

Community Security Trust

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech to the Community Security Trust annual dinner on 29 February 2012; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Chloe Smith: A copy of the published speech has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Corporation Tax

George Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many FTSE 100 companies paid less than 15 per cent corporation tax in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Since 2007-08, UK corporation tax has been charged at rates above 20% on all taxable profits.

Corporation Tax

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether clinical commissioning groups will be liable to pay corporation tax in the event that the legislation envisaged in the Red Book, page 79, is not enacted; and whether current primary care trusts are liable to pay corporation tax.

David Gauke: The Government announced at the Budget that it will legislate in Finance Bill 2013 to exempt Clinical Commissioning Groups from corporation tax. In the absence of specific exemptions, all bodies corporate are liable to tax on profits arising in the UK.
	Section 985 of Corporation Tax Act 2010 provides that primary care trusts are not liable to corporation tax.

Corporation Tax

Guy Opperman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has assessed the merits of simplifying the filing of corporation tax returns for those in rural areas who do not have access to broadband.

David Gauke: The needs of people in rural areas were considered before online filing was made mandatory for companies. Access to broadband has been available to over 99.8% of the UK household population since 2006. In any case, broadband access is not essential for online filing. A dial-up connection is sufficient.

Devolution: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in inter-governmental talks with the Welsh government on funding reform.

Danny Alexander: Bilateral discussions are continuing between the Government and the Welsh Government on all proposals arising from the Holtham Commission. Any decisions will be announced in the normal way.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Kevin Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Duty Paid tax stamp for spirits in protecting revenue from excise duty since its introduction;
	(2)  how many printers print UK tax paid labels for spirits in (a) the UK and (b) Europe; and how many printers based overseas print such labels;
	(3)  by what means spirits manufacturers and label printers inform HM Revenue and Customs when UK tax paid labels for spirits are lost or stolen;
	(4)  how many UK tax paid labels for spirits were lost or stolen in each financial year between 2005-06 and 2010-11.

Chloe Smith: Spirits duty stamps were introduced in 2006 as a key plank of HM Revenue and Customs' strategy to address alcohol duty fraud. Estimated revenue losses from spirits fraud were £320 million in that year, and reduced to £130 million by the end of 2009-10. However it has not been possible to assess the specific effect of duty stamps on fraud within the impact of the overall strategy.
	HMRC does not hold information on the number of printers printing label stamps (also known as Type B stamps). However, as of April 2012, there were 434 businesses authorised to apply Type B stamps, of which 1 75 are based overseas.
	If duty stamps or the disc incorporating the design specification are lost or stolen businesses must notify HMRC by the end of the business day following the day when the loss or theft, or the discovery of it, occurred. This is done by contacting HMRC's Duty Stamps Services Team with certain key information relating to the stamps. Since the introduction of duty stamps in 2006, there have been 35 reported, instances of loss or theft.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations to the Government of Belgium to enable owners of UK leisure craft to use port facilities without fear of prosecution when the vessels are powered by red diesel purchased in the UK in accordance with UK tax regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The use of red diesel to propel private pleasure craft with full duty paid is allowed within UK waters under UK legislation. If red diesel is used outside UK waters the national legislation, including the restrictions and prohibitions of other member states, which includes Belgium, or any other country in
	whose coastal waters it is used, applies.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of evasion of vehicle excise duty.

Chloe Smith: Vehicle excise duty collection has a compliance rate of over 99%. It is estimated that vehicle excise duty evasion could have cost around £40 million in lost revenue in Great Britain in 2011-12, Further information is published by the Department for Transport at
	www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-estimates-2011

Female Staff

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the proportion of female civil servants was in his Department at the level of director and above in the second quarter of 2011-12.

Chloe Smith: In the second quarter of 2011-12, the proportion of female civil servants at the level of director and above in HM Treasury was 29.2%.

Financial Institutions: EU Law

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential capacity of the Financial Conduct Authority to implement the EU transparency directive.

Mark Hoban: Those in the Financial Services Authority currently responsible for implementing the objectives of the transparency directive will become part of the Financial Conduct Authority.

Financial Services: EU Internal Trade

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value of exports in financial services to other EU countries was in each of the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Office for National Statistics publishes data on trade surpluses with other countries in its Pink Book. This is publically available on its website.

GDP: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in the GDP of Wales was between the last quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012.

Danny Alexander: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual estimates of gross value added for the nine English regions and each of the devolved countries.
	The latest publication covers the year 2010 and is available here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-accounts/regional-gross-value-added--income-approach-/december-2011/index.html
	Data for 2011 will be published in December 2012.
	Every quarter, the ONS also produces on behalf of the Welsh Government the Index of Production and Construction and the Welsh Index of Market Services. These indices show the short-term movements in the output of production, construction and market service sector companies within Wales:
	The latest publications cover the fourth quarter of 2011 and are available here:
	http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/economy2012/120410/?lang=en
	http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/economy2012/1204101/?lang=en
	Data for the first quarter of 2012 will be published on 24 July 2012.

Green Deal Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has placed conditions on the £200 million additional funding allocated to the Department for Energy and Climate Change for the introduction of the Green Deal; and what those conditions are.

Chloe Smith: The Government will set out its proposals for the £200 million to incentivise early take up of the Green Deal in due course. These resources are scored to provide support for the Green Deal through public spending.

Health and Social Care Bill

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the levels of Barnett consequentials to the Scottish block grant arising from the implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Danny Alexander: The costs of the Health and Social Care Bill will be met from within existing baselines from the current spending review. Therefore there will be no additional Barnett consequentials.

Income Tax

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will be affected by his decision to increase the personal tax allowance; and what estimate he has made of the average level of financial benefit for such people.

David Gauke: holding answer 18 April 2012
	The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14, £850 above expected RPI indexation, and representing the largest increase in the level of the personal allowance in both cash and real terms for the last 30 years.
	The basic rate limit will be reduced so that most higher rate taxpayers will get one quarter of the benefit a typical basic rate taxpayer will receive. The national insurance upper earnings and profits limits will also be reduced to maintain alignment with the income tax higher rate threshold.
	As a result of these changes, the Government estimates that 23.6 million taxpayers in total will benefit, gaining an annual average £152, 22.5 million of whom will gain by £170, and an estimated 1.8 million taxpayers with income above £41,450 will have an annual average loss of £185.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 Economic and fiscal outlook.

Income Tax

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Woking constituency pay income tax at (a) 20 per cent, (b) 40 per cent and (c) 50 per cent; and how much revenue was raised from (i) income tax and (ii) national insurance contributions in Woking constituency in the tax year (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

David Gauke: It is estimated that there were 48,000 basic rate taxpayers and 11,000 higher rate taxpayers in Woking parliamentary constituency in 2009-10, with a total estimated income tax liability of £455 million.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data, the latest outturn survey available. Reliable estimates for later years, based on the projected SPI data, are not available due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.
	Data on the number of additional rate taxpayers at parliamentary constituency level are not published.
	It is estimated that total national insurance contributions (NIC) liabilities in Woking parliamentary constituency are £250 million in 2009-10 including employer contributions paid in respect of people resident in Woking.
	NIC estimates are based on a 1% sample of 2009-10 NICs and PAYE service data for employees and employers and 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data for self-employed individuals.

Income Tax

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals resident in Bury North constituency pay income tax at (a) 20, (b) 40 and (c) 50 per cent.

David Gauke: It is estimated that there were 42,000 basic rate taxpayers and 3,000 higher rate taxpayers in Bury North parliamentary constituency in 2009- 10.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data, the latest outturn survey available. Reliable estimates for later years based on the projected SPI data, are not available due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.
	Estimates of additional rate taxpayer numbers are not published for local areas.

Income Tax

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warrington North constituency pay income tax at the (a) 20 per cent, (b) 40 per cent and (c) 50 per cent rate.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	It is estimated that there were 43,000 basic rate taxpayers and 4,000 higher rate taxpayers in Warrington North parliamentary constituency in 2009-10.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data, the latest outturn survey available. Reliable estimates for later years based on the projected SPI data, are not available due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.
	Estimates of additional rate taxpayer numbers are not published for local areas.

Income Tax

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are liable for the 50 pence income tax rate in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) the Portsmouth tax district.

David Gauke: Data on the number of additional rate tax payers at parliamentary constituency and local authority levels are not published.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of raising the income tax personal allowance to (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000 and (c) £20,000.

David Gauke: holding answer 12 March 2012
	Estimated costs of increasing the personal allowance from £8,105 to the specified levels in 2012-13 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Level of personal  allowances Cost of increases  in 2012-13 (£ billion ) 
			 £10,000 10.5 
			 £15,000 36.8 
			 £20,000 56.6 
		
	
	Age-related allowances in 2012-13 will be £10,500 for individuals aged 65 to 74 and £10,660 for individuals aged 75 and over. The estimated costs of raising the personal allowance to £15,000 and £20,000 assume that the age-related allowances rise to the same levels.
	Estimated Exchequer costs are on an accruals basis and assume that the basic rate limit remains at £34,370.
	The estimates assume no accompanying changes in national insurance contribution (NICs) upper thresholds.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of people resident in Carshalton and Wallington constituency who will no longer pay income tax as a result of (a) the proposed increase in the personal allowance from April 2012 and (b) the proposed increase in the personal allowance to £10,000 by April 2015.

David Gauke: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above expected indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures the Government estimated that in 2012-13 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North East 10 
			 North West and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
			 East Midlands 18 
			 West Midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South East 32 
			 South West 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 Economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14 (£850 above expected indexation).
	As a result of this measure the Government estimates that in 2013-14 844,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North East 34 
			 North West and Merseyside 95 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 74 
			 East Midlands 66 
			 West Midlands 74 
			 East of England 75 
			 London 97 
			 South East 104 
			 South West 73 
			 Wales 42 
			 Scotland 73 
			 Northern Ireland 25 
			 Address abroad/unknown 13 
			 All 844 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 Economic and fiscal outlook.
	The Government is committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken, as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Julian Huppert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of people resident in Cambridge constituency who will no longer pay income tax consequent on the proposed increase in the personal allowance (a) from April 2012 and (b) to £10,000 by April 2015.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above expected indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures the Government estimated that in 2012-13 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North East 10 
			 North West and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
			 East Midlands 18 
			 West Midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South East 32 
			 South West 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14 (£850 above expected indexation).
	As a result of this measure the Government estimates that in 2013-14 844,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North East 34 
			 North West and Merseyside 95 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 74 
			 East Midlands 66 
			 West Midlands 74 
			 East of England 75 
			 London 97 
			 South East 104 
			 South West 73 
			 Wales 42 
			 Scotland 73 
			 Northern Ireland 25 
			 Address abroad/unknown 13 
			 All 844 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	The Government is committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers in each (a) parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (b) each local authority area in Scotland were in the (i) 20%, (ii) 40% and (iii) 50% income tax bands in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the number of such people in (A) 2012-13 and (B) 2013-14.

David Gauke: The estimated number of taxpayers in Scotland is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Taxpayers 
			 Thousand 
			  Basic rate (1) Higher rate Additional rate 
			 2011-12 2,320 270 14 
			 2012-13 2,260 290 15 
			 2013-14 2,180 340 18 
			 (1) Includes individuals with income tax liabilities due on savings at the10p starting rate only or the ordinary dividends rate only. 
		
	
	Estimates of additional rate taxpayer numbers by country are subject to considerable uncertainties. Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency or local authority level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for smaller geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.
	The majority of those brought into higher rate tax in 2013-14 will still pay less income tax and national insurance because of the increase in the personal allowance announced in Budget 2012.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency who will no longer pay income tax due to his proposed increase in the personal allowance from April 2012.

David Gauke: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under-65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above expected RPI indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimated that in 2012-13, 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (Thousand) 
			 North East 10 
			 North West and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
			 East Midlands 18 
			 West Midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South East 32 
			 South West 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of taxpayers whose liability to pay income tax has been eliminated as a consequence of their making tax deductible charitable donations.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 April 2012
	The following table shows the effective tax rates of those on the highest incomes.
	
		
			 Proportion of individuals reporting various average tax rates by total income category, 2010-11 
			 Percentage 
			  Income 
			 Average tax rates £100,000 to £150,000 £150,000 to £250,000 £250,000 to £500,000 £500,000 to £1 million £1 million to £5 million £5 million to £10 million Over £10 million 
			 Above 40% 0 6 73 81 80 81 72 
			 30% to 40% 67 77 18 11 10 8 12 
			 20% to 30% 24 13 5 4 5 4 8 
			 10% to 20% 8 3 2 2 2 3 3 
			 Under 10% 1 2 2 2 3 4 6 
			 Source: HMRC. 
		
	
	The information regarding the number of taxpayers whose liability to pay income tax has been eliminated as a consequence of their making tax deductible charitable donations is not available.
	There are various ways in which charity donation reliefs can be claimed via Gift Aid, gifts of land and shares or payroll giving schemes. This information is not centrally captured.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason in HM Revenue and Customs' assessment of the tax yield of the 50 per cent top rate of tax a Taxable Income Elasticity (TIE) of 0.35 was used in 2009 but a TIE of 0.48 was used in 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC’s Report “The Exchequer effect of the 50% additional rate of income tax” was published on Budget day. It is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf
	This provides full details of the evidence around Taxable Income Elasticities (TIE). In particular Chapter 3 (Paragraph 3.9) sets out the basis for the costing in 2009. Chapter 4 summarises other evidence on behavioural responses. Chapter 5 sets out the methodology used by HMRC to arrive at new estimates of the elasticity. Chapter 6 explains why it was concluded that the underlying behavioural response was greater than previously estimated.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he commissioned the report on The Exchequer effect of the 50 per cent additional rate of income tax from HM Revenue and Customs rather than from the Office of Budget Responsibility.

David Gauke: The analysis used taxpayer information in self assessment returns that only HM Revenue and Customs officials have access to under the Commissioners of Revenue and Customs Act 2005. HM Treasury Ministers, HM Treasury officials and the Office of Budget Responsibility do not have access to this information to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
	The HM Revenue and Customs analysis was shared with the Office of Budget Responsibility and was used by them in their independent forecast of the public finances.
	The Office of Budget Responsibility also used this analysis to certify the Government's costing of the reduction in the additional rate to 45% and endorsed it as a reasonable and central estimate.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), made reference to this in his Budget speech, for which I refer the hon. Member to, on 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 806.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he became aware that the revenue produced by the 50 per cent top rate of tax was less than had been expected by the Government; and what steps he subsequently took to tackle tax avoidance associated with that rate.

David Gauke: At Budget 2011, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that HM Revenue and Customs would review the effectiveness of the 50% additional rate of income tax. This report drew from self-assessment returns received in January 2012. The report shows that the additional rate is a distortive and economically inefficient way of raising revenue, and that the behavioural response has been larger than expected. This is why Budget 2012 reduced the additional rate of tax from 50% to 45%.
	Budget 2012 announced a cap on unlimited income tax reliefs from April 2012. This will increase effective tax rates and help ensure that those with the highest incomes pay a fairer share. The Government will consult on a General Anti-Abuse Rule with a view to legislating in Finance Bill 2013.
	The Chancellor also reaffirmed in the 2012 Budget, this Government’s commitment to tackle tax avoidance. Measures announced in the Budget will bring in £1 billion of revenue over the next five years and will protect a further £10 billion over that period.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers in Warrington were in the (a) 20 per cent., (b) 40 per cent. and (c) 50 per cent. income tax bands in the last financial year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number who will fall into each band in each of the next two financial years.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 April 2012
	It is estimated that there were 93,000 basic rate taxpayers and 12,000 higher rate taxpayers in Warrington Unitary authority in 2009-10.
	The majority of those, brought into higher rate tax will still pay less income tax and national insurance in 2013-14 because of the increase in the personal allowance announced in Budget 2012.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data. Reliable estimates for later years are not available due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.
	Data on the number of additional rate tax payers at local authority level are not published.

Marginal Tax Rates

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of tenants will have marginal rates of deduction of (a) 60 per cent and above, (b) 70 per cent or above, (c) 80 per cent or above and (d) 90 per cent or above in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of households of each tenure type were subject to marginal deduction rates of (a) 60 per cent and above, (b) 70 per cent and above, (c) 80 per cent and above and (d) 90 per cent and above in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will estimate the equivalent figures for (A) 2012-13, (B) 2013-14 and (C) 2014-15.

David Gauke: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The Government is taking action to simplify the complex withdrawal schedules faced by those on low incomes through the introduction of universal credit.
	This will unify the complex system of means-tested out of work benefits, tax credits and support for housing, into one single payment. This will be withdrawn at a consistent rate, rather than the numerous withdrawal rates of the current complex benefit system. Estimates of marginal deduction rates for example individuals prior to and following the introduction of universal credit can be found in Table B.2 in Annex B of Budget 2012.
	Estimates of marginal deduction rates for tenants, or by tenure type have not been produced and to produce either of these for the ranges and years requested would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Mortgages

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of small mortgage brokers who have surrendered their licences and withdrawn from mortgage business in the last year;
	(2)  how many small mortgage brokers are licensed to trade.

Mark Hoban: The authorisation and ongoing regulation of individual mortgage intermediaries is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
	Information on all firms, individuals and other bodies regulated by the FSA can be found in the ‘FSA Register' on their website. The register contains information on all firms that are, or have been:
	authorised by the FSA;
	registered to conduct regulated activities; or
	have provided certain products or services in the UK.

National Infrastructure Plan

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the National Infrastructure Plan in 2012; and what the outcome was of such discussions.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	This includes the National Infrastructure Plan which sets out a clear strategy for infrastructure investment, both public and private, across the UK. In Wales this includes the electrification of the Great Western line to Cardiff, super-connected city funding to Cardiff, investment to improve broadband and mobile coverage in rural areas and private sector investment in wind energy.

PAYE

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to a typical small business of introducing real time reporting of PAYE information.

David Gauke: The introduction of real time reporting of PAYE information (RTI) is intended to reduce the administrative burdens for all employers. The annual saving to all businesses is estimated as £300 million per year from 2014-15.
	HMRC estimates that the transitional costs of implementing RTI will be £120 million for all businesses. The costs for individual employers will depend on the number of employees they have and vary with circumstances. HMRC estimate that training and familiarizing staff with the new processes could cost firms an average of £50. They also estimate that amending data held about existing employees could cost up to £20 for a small employer.
	HMRC will be working with employers during the pilot year to validate these figures. Small businesses are taking part in the RTI pilot and their experiences will inform the support HMRC offers to small employers migrating to RTI.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers involved in the PAYE real time information pilot use (a) their bank’s internet banking platform and (b) a BACS service user number to pay their employees.

David Gauke: holding answer 26 April 2012
	HMRC currently expect that over 250 of the first 300 pilot employers will pay their employees using a BACS service user number. These employers are expected to pay over 95% of individuals for whom real time information will be filed in the first stage of the pilot. Up to 10% of the first 300 pilot employers are expected to pay their employees by internet banking.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

Chloe Smith: Any monitoring of the effectiveness of the consultation process is undertaken internally by the Treasury and is in line with the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation. The information we have been able to collect centrally, without incurring disproportionate cost, has not identified any external verification of consultations.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury does not collect the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Chloe Smith: Both written responses and those responses fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings are carefully analysed by HM Treasury in line with the Consultation Code of Practice.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of his proposed above the line research and development tax credit on levels of private sector research and development in low-carbon technologies.

David Gauke: The Government expects that the ‘Above the Line' (ATL) credit will increase the incentive for large companies across all sectors, including low carbon-technology, to invest in Research and Development (R&D) by improving the visibility and certainty of relief.
	An initial Tax Impact Assessment, showing the expected impacts of the proposed ATL credit, was published alongside the consultation document which can be found via the following link.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/condoc_above_ line_credit_rd.pdf

Revenue and Customs

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax inspectors HM Revenue and Customs employed in each year since 1982.

David Gauke: holding answer 18 April 2012
	HMRC was created by the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise in 2005 and “tax inspectors” is no longer a role within the merged organisation. HMRC is unable to answer the question as the role no longer exists and to obtain information back to 1982 would be at disproportionate cost, if the information still exists at all. However there are currently 18,000 tax professionals in HMRC who carry out a range of duties—from answering queries from customers to tackling non-compliance with taxation obligations.

Revenue and Customs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with officials in HM Revenue and Customs on the time taken to answer telephone calls from members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 April 2012
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), has recently written to Lin Homer, the chief executive of HMRC, setting out the remit for HMRC for 2012-13 and confirming the priorities for the Department for the current year. These priorities include improving the service provided to customers.
	For telephone calls, HMRC uses a variety of measures to assess the accessibility of telephone services which include the percentage of call attempts handled by its contact centres. In 2011-12, HMRC has significantly improved the number of call attempts handled to 74% (compared to 48% in the previous year)
	HMRC recognise that there are further improvements to be made and aim to achieve 90% of call attempts handled by 2014-15.

Revenue and Customs

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether HM Revenue and Customs sets performance targets for answering telephone queries;
	(2)  what HM Revenue and Customs performance statistics are available on the Department's response to telephone queries in 2010-11.

David Gauke: HMRC uses a variety of measures to assess the accessibility of telephone services which include the percentage of call attempts handled by its contact centres. In 2011-12, HMRC has significantly improved the number of call attempts handled to 74% (compared to 48% in the previous year).
	HMRC recognise that there are further improvements to be made and aim to achieve 90% of call attempts handled by 2014-15.

Smuggling

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff were engaged in tackling (a) tobacco and (b) alcohol smuggling in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: HMRC deploy staff flexibly in response to threats to the tax regimes they administer. The full-time equivalents of staff engaged in this work are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Tobacco 2,143 2,148 2,176 711 754 
			 Alcohol 560 681 656 508 613 
		
	
	These figures represent HMRC’s best estimate of the way resources were used in the year specified, bearing in mind that the work of staff employed on anti-fraud and smuggling activity often covers a number of different taxes and commodities.
	The figure for staff engaged in tobacco smuggling in 2010-11 replaces that provided to the hon. Member for Bristol West (Stephen Williams), in an earlier written answer of 20 March 2012, Official Report, column 620W.
	From 2009-10 onwards responsibilities, and staff, were transferred to the Border Force in respect of anti-smuggling work at the border.

Social Security Benefits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total household income including working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit and council tax benefit of a couple with two children working 16 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after the changes to qualifying hours for working tax credit are introduced on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out of work benefits.

David Gauke: holding answer 27 March 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the written answer to PQ 95428 given by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith) on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 395W.

Tax Allowances

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the freezing of the personal tax allowance for over-65 year olds on levels of pensioner poverty;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the freezing of the personal tax allowance for over-65 year olds on the income of people who turn 65 after 6 April 2013.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on pensioner incomes in each income decile of changes to age-related tax allowances announced in the 2012 Budget.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Government remains committed to supporting pensioners and has introduced a triple guarantee for the basic state pension ensuring it will increase each year by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. From April 2012, the basic state pension increased by £5.30, the biggest cash increase ever. The Government has also protected other key pensioner benefits.
	The 2012 Budget announced that from 2013-14, age-related allowances will: (a) be frozen at their 2012-13 levels until they align with the personal allowance; and (b) that they will no longer be available, except to those born on or before 5 April 1948 with the higher age-related allowance available only to those born before 5 April 1938.
	These changes will simplify the personal allowance system and reduce the number of pensioners in self-assessment.
	The ‘Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates’ published alongside Budget 2012 states that, in 2013-14, an estimated 4.41 million individuals will be affected by these changes compared with RPI indexation of age-related allowances and no change to eligibility, though none will see any cash reduction in their personal allowance from April 2013 compared with 2012-13.

Tax Allowances

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Tooting constituency who will pay more tax as a consequence of his decision to freeze income tax age-related allowances in each of the next five years.

David Gauke: The Government remains committed to supporting pensioners and has introduced a triple guarantee for the basic state pension ensuring it will increase each year by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. From April 2012, the basic state pension increased by £5.30, the biggest cash increase ever. The Government has also protected other key pensioner benefits.
	The 2012 Budget announced that from 2013-14, age-related allowances will: (a) be frozen at their 2012-13 levels until they align with the personal allowance; and (b) that they will no longer be available, except to those born on or before 5 April 1948 with the higher age-related -allowance available only to those born before 5 April 1938.
	These changes will simplify the personal allowance system and reduce the number of pensioners in self assessment.
	The 'Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates' published alongside Budget 2012 states that, in 2013-14, an estimated 4.41 million individuals will be affected by these changes compared with RPI indexation of age-related allowances and no change to eligibility, though none will see any cash reduction in their personal allowance from April 2013 compared with 2012-13.
	Estimates of numbers affected specifically by the announced freeze in age-related allowances at Government office region level are provided in the following table for 2013-14 to 2016-17. Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency level due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.
	
		
			 Numbers affected by the freeze in age-related allowances from April 2013 
			 (Thousands) 
			 Government office region 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 North East 175 189 205 218 
			 North West and Merseyside 482 518 559 593 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 358 390 419 440 
			 East Midlands 324 346 373 397 
			 West Midlands 377 410 443 468 
			 East of England 433 465 496 522 
			 London 356 382 404 422 
			 South East 641 685 730 761 
			 South West 450 484 518 542 
			 Wales 237 256 274 291 
			 Scotland 363 395 423 447 
			 Northern Ireland 89 98 106 111 
			 Address abroad/unknown 76 85 92 99 
			 United Kingdom 4,360 4,700 5,040 5,310 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.

Tax Allowances: Art Works

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what value of assets he has allowed under the conditional exemption scheme for art works in each of the last 20 years; what the level of (a) inheritance tax and (b) capital gains tax foregone by the Exchequer as a result was in each such year; and how many (i) art works, (ii) art collections, (iii) castles, (iv) stately homes, (v) gardens and (vi) landed estates benefitted from such provisions.

David Gauke: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The number and value of assets allowed under the conditional exemption scheme and the amount of inheritance tax foregone are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million Numbers of items 
			  Total value of assets Level of inheritance tax foregone (1) Chattels/artwork Land 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 384 145 n/a n/a 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 243 100 7,346 29 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 128 49 15,674 13 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 n/a 107 1,657 5 
			 2006-07 to 2008-09 215 84 5,293 8 
			 2009-10 to 2011-12 128 51 1,969 8 
			 (1) The amount of inheritance tax foregone given are the amounts allowed on claims. Tax will also be received on assets which become liable to inheritance tax or estate duty when they leave conditional exemption. 
		
	
	The amount of capital gains tax foregone has been less than £1 million in each year since 1997-98.
	It is not possible to show the data for individual years as requested due to the risk of disclosure of information about an individual taxpayer. The data has been totalled across three years to prevent this. While assets can be broken down between chattels and land, further breakdowns are not available. Data for earlier years are not available.

Tax Allowances: Charitable Donations

Chris White: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposed cap on tax reliefs on philanthropic behaviour;
	(2)  what modelling his Department has undertaken to measure the effect on (a) levels of charitable giving and (b) charities of his proposed cap on tax reliefs.

David Gauke: At Budget 2012, the Government announced it would introduce a cap on unlimited income tax reliefs to ensure that those on higher incomes cannot use them excessively.
	The Government will explore with philanthropists ways to ensure this new limit on uncapped reliefs will not impact significantly on charities that depend on large donations to carry out their charitable activities.
	A consultation document on the detail of the policy, including the implications for philanthropic giving, will be published in the summer.

Tax Allowances: Charitable Donations

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his forecasts for the effect on charitable giving of the 2012 Budget's introduction of a cap on tax relief on donations to charities; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 18 April 2012
	At Budget 2012 the Government announced it would introduce a cap on unlimited income tax reliefs to ensure that those on higher incomes cannot use them excessively.
	The Government will explore with philanthropists ways to ensure this new limit on uncapped reliefs will not impact significantly on charities that depend on large donations to carry out their charitable activities.
	A consultation document on the detail of the policy, including the implications for philanthropic giving, will be published in the summer.

Tax Allowances: Charitable Donations

Harriet Harman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library all representations he has received on the proposed cap on tax relief for philanthropic donations announced in his Budget 2012;
	(2)  how many representations he has received in respect of the proposed cap on tax relief for philanthropic donations announced in his Budget 2012; and what proportion of such representations were in favour of the proposal.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 April 2012
	The Budget last month announced the introduction from April 2013 of a limit on currently uncapped income tax reliefs. It also set out the Government's intention to explore with philanthropists ways to ensure that this measure will not impact significantly on charities that depend on large donations. This process is already under way—Ministers and officials have already begun this engagement with stakeholders. These discussions will inform a formal consultation in the summer.

Tax Allowances: Charities

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to restrict tax relief for overseas charities.

David Gauke: The Government set out proposals in Budget 2012 to introduce a limit on all uncapped income tax reliefs, including charitable reliefs. This limit would apply to UK charitable organisations and overseas organisations that are recognised by HMRC as charitable organisations for tax purposes. The Government is exploring with philanthropists ways to ensure that this measure will not significantly impact on charities that depend on large donations.

Tax Allowances: Pensioners

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners in (a) Newport East constituency and (b) Wales will be affected by the freeze in the age-related tax allowance.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged 65 years and over will have their age-related allowance frozen in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each parliamentary constituency in the UK as a result of Budget 2012.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who will be affected by his decision to (a) freeze age-related allowances and (b) restrict age-related allowances to existing recipients from April 2013 in each (i) region, (ii) local authority and (iii) parliamentary constituency in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16.

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (c) each local authority area in Scotland aged (i) between 65 and 74 years and (ii) 75 years and over, will be in receipt of the age-related personal allowance (A) in and (B) each of the following two financial years; and if he will estimate what the average difference in pensioner income would be had the thresholds been uprated in line with inflation.

David Gauke: holding answers 16 April 2012
	The information is as follows:
	(i)-(iii) The Government remains committed to supporting pensioners and has introduced a triple guarantee for the basic state pension ensuring it will increase each year by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5%. From April 2012, the basic state pension increased by £5.30, the biggest cash increase ever. The Government has also protected other key pensioner benefits. The triple guarantee means that a full basic state pension will be over £120 per year higher than under the previous Government's uprating policy.
	The 2012 Budget announced that from 2013-14, age-related allowances will: (a) be frozen at their 2012-13 levels until they align with the personal allowance; and (b) that they will no longer be available, except to those born on or before 5 April 1948 with the higher age-related allowance available only to those born before 5 April 1938.
	These changes will simplify the personal allowance system and reduce the number of pensioners in self-assessment.
	The “Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates” published alongside Budget 2012 states that, in 2013-14, an estimated 4.41 million individuals will be affected by these changes compared with RPI indexation of age-related allowances and no change to eligibility, though none will see any cash reduction in their personal allowance from April 2013 compared with 2012-13.
	Estimates of numbers affected and average impacts on income tax paid at Government office region level are provided in the following table for 2013-14. Reliable estimates are not available at the local authority and parliamentary constituency levels due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.
	
		
			 Estimated impacts in 2013-14 
			  Number s  affected (thousand) Average change in tax paid (£) 
			 Government office region Freeze age-related allowance Restrict eligibility Combined changes Combined changes 
			 North East 175 24 178 +84 
			 North West and Merseyside 482 60 487 +83 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 358 46 363 +83 
			 East Midlands 324 41 327 +82 
			 West Midlands 377 48 381 +82 
			 East of England 433 53 437 +81 
			 London 356 43 358 +82 
			 South East 641 80 648 +82 
			 South West 450 60 455 +84 
			 Wales 237 31 240 +83 
			 Scotland 363 49 367 +84 
			 Northern Ireland 89 13 91 +87 
			 Address abroad/unknown 76 11 78 +87 
			 United Kingdom 4,360 560 4,410 +83 
		
	
	Available information for tax years 2014-15 and 2015-16 is provided in the following table. Estimated impacts arising from the announced changes to eligibility for age-related allowances cannot be provided for tax years after 2013-14, as these will depend on the level of the personal allowance for under 65s.
	The Government is committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on changes in the personal allowance from 2014-15 will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.
	
		
			 Number s  affected by the freeze in age-related allowances from April 2013 in 2014-15 and 2015-16 
			 Thousand 
			 Government office region 2014-15 2015-16 
			 North East 189 205 
			 North West and Merseyside 518 559 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 390 419 
			 East Midlands 346 373 
			 West Midlands 410 443 
			 East of England 465 496 
			 London 382 404 
			 South East 685 730 
			 South West 484 518 
			 Wales 256 274 
			 Scotland 395 423 
			 Northern Ireland 98 106 
			 Address abroad/unknown 85 92 
			 United Kingdom 4,700 5,040 
		
	
	(iv) A projected 471,000 income taxpayers in Scotland are expected to benefit from age-related allowances in 2012-13, ie would pay more income tax if age-related allowances were not available in 2012-13. Within the total, 266,000 are aged 65-74 and 205,000 are aged 75 and over. Reliable estimates are not available at the local authority and parliamentary constituency levels due to greater uncertainties in making projections for small geographical areas.
	All estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 Economic and fiscal outlook.

Tax Allowances: Pensioners

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of continuing to pay the age-related allowance frozen at current levels to all new retirees until the personal allowances catch up.

David Gauke: The 2012 Budget announced that from 2013-14, age-related allowances will be frozen at their 2012-13 levels until they align with the personal allowance, and that they will be restricted to existing recipients.
	Relative to this position, the estimated cost of continuing to pay the age-related allowances frozen at current levels to all who would become eligible under current arrangements by virtue of age is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2013-14 90 
			 2014-15 150 
			 2015-16 180 
			 2016-17 150

Taxation: Gambling

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy that remote or offshore gambling companies with UK customers will be required to pay the same rate of tax as companies which are based in the UK offering land-based gambling.

Chloe Smith: It is proposed that a 15% rate will be applied to the reformed remote gambling taxation regime. This is the same as the rate that currently applies for remote gaming duty, pool betting duty and general betting duty. The rate will be kept under review following the consultation on design characteristics of the reform published on 5 April 2012.

Taxation: India

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations he has received from Vodafone on proposed retrospective taxation legislation on cross-border agreements in India;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the government of India on their retrospective taxation legislation on cross-border agreements;
	(3)  what representations he has received from companies and organisations other than Vodafone in relation to the government of India's proposed retrospective taxation legislation on cross-border agreements.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Telephone Services

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the average waiting time for a response from HM Revenue and Customs for calls to 0845 numbers for public helplines in each month of the last three years.

David Gauke: The information for the period requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Average waiting time (1) 
			 Minutes:Seconds 
			  Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar 
			 2011-12 4:14 4:42 5:10 5:28 3:40 3:48 3:05 2:07 3:29 5:03 4:05 3:27 
			 2010-11 4:18 4:40 4:35 5:27 6:19 4:37 3:40 1:55 2:21 5:10 3:00 3:28 
			 2009-10 1:10 1:52 1:28 2:08 1:50 1:34 0:37 0:28 0:34 2:31 1:22 2:37 
			 (1) Average waiting time is defined as the time taken for a call to be answered by an adviser once a customer has selected an option from the call steering menu. 
		
	
	HMRC uses a variety of measures to assess the accessibility of telephone services which include the percentage of call attempts handled by its contact centres. In 2011-12, HMRC has significantly improved the number of call attempts handled to 74% (compared to 48% in the previous year)
	HMRC recognise that there are further improvements to be made and aim to achieve 90% of call attempts handled by 2014-15.

Telephone Services

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish details of the revenue generated by HM Revenue and Customs' use of 0845 numbers for public help lines in each month of the last three years.

David Gauke: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 July 2010, Official Report, column 185W.
	HMRC has responded to the recommendation contained in the Treasury Select Committee report published on 26 October 2011 by introducing a non-0845 number for tax credits claimants. HMRC will continue to investigate alternatives to 0845 numbers as part of the process of agreeing its next telephony contract.

Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

Chloe Smith: All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
	The Department has committed to publish details of all Ministers meetings, hospitality and overseas travel, including that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). The data can be found online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
	The number of train journeys by Ministers and officials since October 2011, booked through the Department's travel management company, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  Ministers Officials 
			 2011   
			 October 4 281 
			 November 7 339 
			 December 1 189 
			    
			 2012   
			 January 1 259 
			 February 2 308 
			 March 2 265 
		
	
	There were no ministerial coach journeys booked by the Department in the period. The number of journeys made by officials by coach and the number of journeys by Ministers and officials in Government cars are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

UK Financial Investments

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with UK Financial Investments Ltd on implications for the public purse of LIBOR investigations.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
	UKFI is responsible for managing the Government's shareholdings in financial institutions. Its overarching objective is to dispose of the Government's investments in an orderly and active manner, within the context of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer, paying due regard to financial stability and to acting in a way that promotes competition.

Unsecured Pensions

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners have drawdown pensions; and how many such pensioners have received a new three yearly valuation from the Government Actuary's Department.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available as pension administrators and pensioners are not required to report this information to HMRC.

VAT

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes on VAT on hot foods on average monthly household food costs.

David Gauke: Treasury analysis suggests that the changes on hot foods will lead to an average cost of around 9 pence a week across households. However, the cost to consumers will depend on the extent to which businesses pass on the increased VAT rate.
	Clarifying the VAT rules on hot foods will ensure that all food sold hot is taxed consistently. It removes, for example, the anomaly that hot chickens are currently taxable when sold in a take-away shop but are zero rated by many supermarkets.

VAT

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the revenue which will accrue to the Exchequer as a consequence of the removal of the zero VAT rate for alterations to listed buildings;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on listed places of worship of the removal of the zero VAT rate for alterations to listed buildings.

David Gauke: Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings and a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf
	Our original estimate, based on a church report produced in 2000, was that £5 million a year additional funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would be adequate compensation for listed places of worship for the impact of the VAT change. We are talking to churches and will increase this amount if there is evidence that the impact is greater.

VAT

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to raise from VAT charged on approved alterations to (a) listed buildings that are places of worship and (b) listed buildings that are not places of worship, following the changes to VAT charged on approved alterations announced in Budget 2012.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 April 2012
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue & Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf
	Our original estimate, based on a church report produced in 2000, was that £5 million a year additional funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would be adequate compensation for listed places of worship for the impact of the VAT change. We are talking to churches and will increase this amount if there is evidence that the impact is greater.

VAT

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to raise from VAT charged on approved alterations to listed buildings in (a) London, (b) English regions outside London and (c) Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, following the changes to VAT charged on approved alterations announced in Budget 2012.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 April 2012
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue & Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

Phillip Lee: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the financial effect on those responsible for the upkeep of listed buildings of his decision to remove VAT relief on work on such buildings; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely revenue gain by removing VAT relief on the maintenance of listed church, abbey and cathedral buildings in each of the next three years;
	(3)  whether the removal of VAT on works to listed buildings includes work on those scheduled as ancient monuments.

David Gauke: holding answer 24 April 2012
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue & Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings and a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited. Paragraph 42 of that document defines the types of scheduled monuments which could be affected.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf
	There are no changes to the VAT rules for the maintenance of listed places of worship. The Government has committed to expand the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to address the impact of applying VAT to alterations made to listed places of worship.

VAT

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the introduction of a reduced rate of VAT for passenger transportation in cable-based transport systems in the last two years.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Government recognises the importance of engaging fully with individuals, practitioners, businesses and other organisations in the development of tax policy. Treasury Ministers and officials have held meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sector as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

VAT

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation he carried out with representatives of the food industry in advance of his announcement on the levying of VAT on hot food.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Government recognises the importance of engaging fully with individuals, practitioners, businesses and other organisations in the development of tax policy. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	HMRC are consulting on draft legislation which will give effect to the proposed changes. If businesses wish to raise any particular technical implementation difficulties, they have an opportunity to do so before 18 May.

VAT

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis officials in his Department calculated a total cost of £40 per business as the effect of his decision to impose VAT on sports nutrition products.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The cost to affected businesses to comply with the VAT changes to sports nutrition drinks is set out in Annex B—Table of Impact for Individual Measures—of the HM Revenue and Customs consultation document ‘VAT: Addressing borderline anomalies’, published in Budget 2012:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the impact assessment of his decision to impose value-added tax on sports nutrition products, whether the predicted £10 million per annum increase in revenues takes into account the potential for reduced tax revenues from (a) consumers switching to offshore personal imports and (b) reduction in profitability of onshore businesses.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The post-behavioural exchequer impact and economic impact of the VAT changes to sports nutrition drinks is set out in Annex B—Table of Impact for Individual Measures—of the HM Revenue and Customs consultation document ‘VAT: Addressing borderline anomalies’, published in Budget 2012:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has undertaken an impact assessment of the effect on listed buildings in (a) London, (b) English regions outside London and (c) Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales of the changes to VAT charged on approved alterations announced in the Budget 2012.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out impacts of the VAT change to approved alterations to listed buildings upon which comments are welcomed.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the period allocated for his consultation on his plan to introduce 20 per cent VAT on sports nutrition products does not comply with the 12 week minimum recommended by the Government code of practice on consultations.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The code of practice acknowledges that there will be occasions when the Government deviates from the normal practice under the code when running a formal, written consultation. The consultation, ‘VAT: Addressing borderline anomalies’ sets out on page 34 the reasons for the shorter duration and alternative means of providing feedback.
	In recognition of the wide interest in these proposals, on 18 April 2012, Official Report, columns 441-42, I announced to Parliament that the consultation period will be extended and will now end on 18 May 2012.

VAT

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with which sports nutrition manufacturers and distributors his Department consulted on the effect of his proposals to introduce 20 per cent VAT for sports nutrition products prior to producing the Department's impact assessment;
	(2)  what consideration his Department gave to the potential move to internet purchasing from offshore sources when preparing the impact assessment on his plan to introduce 20 per cent VAT on sports nutrition products.

David Gauke: holding answer 23 April 2012
	The Government recognises the importance of engaging fully with individuals, practitioners, businesses and other organisations in the development of tax policy. Treasury Ministers and officials have held meetings with a variety of organisations in the public and private sector as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures—in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document ‘VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies’, published at Budget 2012, sets out impacts of the VAT change to sports drinks upon which comments are welcomed:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf

VAT

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the changes to VAT for caravans on (a) Humberside and (b) other sub-regional economies.

David Gauke: Table 5 of ‘VAT: Addressing borderline anomalies’, published alongside the Budget, and which can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf
	sets out an assessment of the impact of the measure.

VAT

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of the imposition of VAT on alterations to listed buildings on churches in Denton and Reddish constituency.

David Gauke: Annex B—Tables of Impact for Individual Measures in HM Revenue and Customs consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies”, published at Budget 2012, sets out estimates for VAT which will be raised from approved alterations to listed buildings and a summary of impacts upon which comments are invited.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/vat-con-4801.pdf
	Our original estimate, based on a church report produced in 2000, was that £5 million a year additional funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would be adequate compensation for listed places of worship for the impact of the VAT change. We are talking to churches and will increase this amount if there is evidence that the impact is greater.

VAT

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consultations he has had with trade bodies or organisations representing static caravan motor homes on the imposition of 20 per cent VAT on the price of new static caravans announced in the Budget;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the imposition of 20 per cent VAT on the price of new static caravan motor homes on future sales of such homes;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the imposition of 20 per cent VAT on new static caravan motor homes on tourism within the UK;
	(4)  what consultations he held prior to the decision to impose 20 per cent VAT on the price of new static caravan motor homes.

David Gauke: The Budget 2012 measure proposed that from 1 October all holiday caravans would be subject to VAT, while preserving the zero rate for residential caravans. HMRC's assessment of the potential impact of this change can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note which is available from their website.
	HMRC are consulting on draft legislation which will give effect to the proposed changes. The consultation runs until 18 May.

VAT

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from (a) English Heritage and (b) the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings on VAT. [R]

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Vodafone

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings he has had with representatives of Vodafone regarding proposed retrospective taxation legislation on cross-border agreements in India;
	(2)  how often he has met representatives of Vodafone since May 2010;
	(3)  what meetings he has had with representatives of companies and organisations other than Vodafone on the Government of India's proposed retrospective taxation legislation on cross-border agreements.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households claimed working tax credit in each constituency with (a) the basic element only, (b) the basic element and the couples and lone parent element and (c) the basic element, the couples and lone parent element and the 30 hour element in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

David Gauke: The information requested in (a) and (b) are available in the HMRC publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2009-10 Geographical Analysis', available at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-may11.pdf
	2009-10 is the latest year for which information is currently available. 2010-11 data will be published in May 2012 and 2011-12 will be available in May 2013. The information for each parliamentary constituency can be found in table 3.
	The number of households benefiting from the basic element of working tax credit only (a) is the number of in-work families with no children. Households benefiting from the basic element, and couples and lone parents element (b) is the total of in-work families with children receiving WTC and CTC or receiving CTC only, either more than the family element or at or below the family element.
	Households with the basic element of working tax credit, the couples and lone parents element and the 30 hour element for each Westminster parliamentary constituency has been deposited in the Libraries of the House. Again, the latest information available is for 2009-10.

Welfare Tax Credits: Rutherglen

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency are currently in receipt of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit.

David Gauke: The number of families in Rutherglen and Hamilton West in receipt of working tax credit and child tax credit is as follows:
	
		
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 
			  Number (thousand) 
			 Out-of-work 2.8 
			 WTC and CTC 3.8 
			 In-work CTC only 3.2 
		
	
	
		
			 WTC only 1.4 
			 All 11.2 
		
	
	This information is compiled using the December 2011 National Statistics dataset. The HMRC snapshot publication ‘Personal Tax Credits: Provisional Statistics—Geographical Statistics’ contains data on the number of families in receipt of tax credits and the December 2011 publication can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-dec2011.pdf
	Table 4 has this information by Westminster parliamentary constituency.

Working Tax Credit

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the (a) average number of weekly hours worked by recipients of working tax credits and (b) number of recipients who worked (i) 16 hours exactly, (ii) 17 to 20 hours, (iii) 21 to 24 hours, (iv) 24 to 30 hours, (v) 30 to 35 hours and (vi) over 35 hours in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Hours worked by the main-worker(1) for households eligible for working tax credit and receiving a positive tax credit award as of December 2011.
	
		
			 Hours Households (thousands) 
			 16 397.4 
			 17-20 321.1 
			 21-24 166.2 
			 25-30 551.7 
			 30-35 448.6 
			 36+ 2,354.9 
			 Total 4,239.9 
		
	
	Caution is needed with these estimates as there is little incentive to report to HMRC changes in hours worked if it does not affect the tax credit award.
	(1) Main worker defined as adults in the household with the highest number of reported hours worked.

Working Tax Credit

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Redditch constituency who claim working tax credits will be affected by the increase in the working hours requirement.

David Gauke: We have made no such estimate.
	The measure to restrict eligibility to working tax credit to 24 hours for couples with children is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review.
	Estimating the effect on families from an individual measure does not give a clear indication of the full monetary impact on an individual household.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the packages of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

Working Tax Credit

Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on parents of children with autism of changes to the disability care component of the working tax credit.

Chloe Smith: The working tax credit does not include a disability care component. It has a disabled worker element and a severely disabled worker element. The child tax credit has a disabled child element and a severely disabled child element, All of these elements were up-rated by CPI in April 2012.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer (a) questions 102273, 102272, 102276 tabled on 22 March 2012 for answer on 27 March 2012 on tax thresholds and (b) question 102733 tabled on 27 March 2012 for answer on 16 April 2012 on working tax credit.

David Gauke: Questions 102272 and 102276 were answered on 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 897W). 102273 and 102733 were answered today.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer Question (a) 104962, (b) 104963, (c) 104964, (d) 105003 and (e) 104961 on child benefit fraud, tabled on 18 April 2012, for answer on 23 April 2012.

David Gauke: I have done so today.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 612W, on carbon emissions, how the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation will be different from (a) the Community Energy Saving Programme and (b) the Carbon Emission Reduction Target.

Gregory Barker: We are designing the new Carbon Saving Communities obligation by building on the lessons we have learned from the current CERT and CESP schemes. We conducted a full evaluation(1) of these two programmes last year and have considered carefully some the obstacles to current delivery that were identified by that review. As an example, the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation will focus on all forms of insulation and will deliver on an area basis but include more communities than CESP—the bottom 15% most deprived communities in England and similar communities in Scotland and Wales will be eligible, which will allow for more flexible delivery on the ground.
	Full details of the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation will be published in due course as part of the Government's response to the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation.
	(1) http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/funding-support/3340-evaluation-synthesis-of-energy-supplier-obligation.pdf

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 612W, on carbon emissions, when he expects to publish his response to the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation.

Gregory Barker: We expect to publish the Government's response to the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultations in June 2012, ahead of Green Deal launch this autumn.

Combined Heat and Power

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy that for combined heat and power installations, the proportion of electricity and heat used for consumption by the generator of such electricity and heat is exempt from carbon price support for energy intensive industries at risk of carbon leakage; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The package of measures announced in the autumn statement last year by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), will compensate those electro-intensive industries most at risk of carbon leakage for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor and the EU ETS where these place them at a competitive disadvantage internationally.
	The Chancellor also announced in the Budget that the fuel used for the generation of heat in good quality combined heat and power (CHP) plants would be exempt from carbon price support rates. Furthermore, plants with an electrical capacity of less than two megawatts are fully exempt from carbon price support.
	Government will continue to exempt good quality CHP electricity that is generated for use onsite from the climate change levy.

Electricity Generation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost per megawatt hour of electricity generated by (a) coal, (b) coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS), (c) gas, (d) gas with CCS, (e) nuclear, (f) onshore wind, (g) offshore wind, (h) solar photovoltaic, (i) hydro and (j) biomass.

Charles Hendry: In recent years Government has commissioned several studies of the costs of different generation technologies to inform policy decisions. The most recent information about generation costs can be found in the three reports highlighted as follows which are available on the DECC website:
	A report by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) (2011) which focuses on non-renewables technologies can be found at
	www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/economics-social-research/2127-electricity-generation-cost-model-2011.pdf
	A report by Arup/Ernst & Young (2011) which focuses on renewable technologies can to be found at
	www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/ro-banding/3237-cons-ro-banding-arup-report.pdf
	An update of solar PV costs by PB (January 2012) which is available at
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/4290-solar-pv-cost-update-report--3-feb-2012-.pdf
	The following table replicates information that can be found in Appendix A and D(1) of these respective reports, and shows central estimates for projects starting in 2011(2) and 2017 using a 10% discount rate.
	(1) Please note that while the update of solar PV report did not include levelised cost calculations, the underlying published data has been used to calculated a solar PV levelised cost presented in the following table. An update to this report will be published alongside the response to the Phase 2A Solar PV costs consultation.
	(2) Please note ‘project start’ indicates the start of pre-development work (including consent) for the project prior to final investment decision and commissioning.
	
		
			 Table 1: Central levelised cost estimates for selected electricity generation technologies 
			 £/MWh 
			  Projects starting in 2011 Projects starting in 2017 
			 CCGT NOAK 77 88 
			 CCGT with CCS FOAK/NOAK 105 95 
			 Coal ASC NOAK 95 117 
			 Coal ASC with CCS FOAK/NOAK 108 94 
			 Nuclear FOAK/NOAK 74 65 
			 Onshore Wind 5 MW > 90 88 
			 Offshore R2 Wind 123 106 
			 Dedicated Biomass >50 MW 145 143 
			 Hydropower 5-16 MW 73 — 
			 Solar PV250-5000 kW (1)129 85 
			 (1 )The Solar PV figure is for projects starting in 2012. Source: PB (2011), Arup/EY (2011), PB (2012). Please note all data is in 2010 prices (£). Where a technology is listed as FOAK/NOAK the first estimate for projects starting in 2011 is based on ‘first of a kind’ estimate, while projects starting in 2017 is based on a 'nth of a kind' estimate. 
		
	
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, discount rate and other drivers and this means that there is significant uncertainty around these estimates. It is perhaps more appropriate to consider a range of cost estimates as pipeline projects show a large range around these central values (set out in more detail in the above reports).

Energy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 October 2010, Official Report , columns 42-4WS, on national policy statements, whether it is his policy that contract for difference feed-in tariffs would have a single technology-neutral strike price and standard technology-neutral terms and conditions.

Gregory Barker: The CfD is a market based mechanism that aims to support all sources of low carbon generation. The Department is currently developing policy on how the strike prices will be determined and on contract terms. Further detail will be set out in the draft operational framework to be published later this spring.

Energy: Cooperatives

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department is providing for the development of energy co-operatives.

Charles Hendry: The Department is providing a range of support for community energy, including support for energy co-operatives, as recently set out in answer given by the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) on 26 April 2012, Official Report, columns 981-2W.
	In particular, the guidance for applicants to £10 million Local Action Assessment Fund (LEAF) stated that LEAF funding could be used for community capacity building, such as establishing community energy enterprises.
	On the Department's “Community Energy Online” portal, there is also advice for communities about the Department for Business/UK Cooperatives joint competition for community buying groups closing on 15 May 2012. Further information is available at:
	http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/buying

Environment Protection

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 484W, on environmental protection, how much of the £60 million allocated to developing manufacturing infrastructure at port sites has been (a) allocated to projects and (b) spent.

Gregory Barker: Bids for support under this scheme, and grant offers, are made on a confidential basis. Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered. At this point, projects have not yet reached the stage where details of the first grant instalment would be published.

Environment Protection

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 484W, on environment protection, how much of the £20 million allocated to carbon capture and storage costs reduction innovation has been (a) allocated to projects and (b) spent.

Charles Hendry: On 13 March, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), launched the competition to fund up to £20 million towards the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) innovation technologies. The competition opens for applications on 30 April and closes on 29 June 2012. Once the competition has closed and projects have been assessed, we expect to select and allocate funding to projects in the early autumn.

Feed-in Tariffs

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the contract for difference feed-in tariffs taking account of risk allocation and financeability in the (a) strike price and (b) terms of the contract.

Gregory Barker: The CfD is a market based mechanism that aims to support all sources of low carbon generation. The Department is currently developing policy on issues around risk allocation and financeability. Further detail will be set out in the draft operational framework to be published later this spring.

Gas and Electricity Markets Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 618W, on Ofgem, how many staff received bonuses in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011 in excess of (i) £1,489, (ii) £2,267, (iii) £5,000, (iv) £10,000, (v) £20,000 and (vi) £50,000.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem has provided the following information in this table.
	
		
			 In excess of 2009-10 2010-11 
			 £1,489 20 42 
			 £2,267 46 32 
			 £5,000 17 21 
			 £10,000 5 9 
			 £20,000 2 0 
			 £50,000 0 0

Green Deal Scheme

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to including smart metering in the Green Deal scheme.

Gregory Barker: The current list of qualifying measures under the Green Deal includes a range of measures which can improve the energy performance of the building in their own right, such as loft insulation.
	As the cost of smart meters will be shared between all consumers (as is currently the way for existing meters) they do not require financing through the Green Deal. In addition, they are not an energy efficient measure in themselves. They are, however, a helpful tool providing consumers control and transparency over energy consumption.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 486W, on the Green Deal scheme, if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of unpublished research on consumer attitudes to the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: Completed research is publicly available and a copy has already been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The remaining items of currently unpublished research are still being finalised. When complete, they will be published on the DECC website or in the final Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation Impact Assessment, and copies placed in the Library of the House.

Green Deal Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of arrangements for access to the (a) feed-in tariff and (b) Renewable Heat Incentive schemes that customers will have to provide a proportion of money to fund a microgeneration installation within the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: There are a number of potential links between Green Deal measures, and the renewable heat incentive and feed-in tariffs. For example, many microgeneration and renewable heat technologies are already eligible for Green Deal finance. Improving energy efficiency in a property is an essential first step to ensuring the effectiveness of many renewable heat technologies, such as air and ground source heat pumps.
	For this reason we are keen to encourage greater integration in the marketing of FITs/RHI and the Green Deal, leading to more informed consumer choices. However, there are a number of significant obstacles to further integration of the financial mechanisms that mean combining them is not currently possible.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department were working on the (a) Green Deal and (b) Energy Company Obligation on (i) 1 May 2010, (ii) 1 November 2010, (iii) 1 May 2011, (iv) 1 November 2011 and (v) 1 April 2012. [Official Report, 10 May 2012, Vol. 545, c. 4MC.]

Gregory Barker: In May 2010 the focus was on Household Energy Efficiency when approximately 49 officials worked on the policy. After the election that policy was re-focused on a new longer term programme, the Green Deal.
	From November 2010 to present day the figures are in the following table, broken down in the two areas:
	
		
			  Household Energy Efficiency ECO Green Deal 
			 May 2010 48 — — 
			 November 2010 — 5 46 
			 May 2011 — 5 49 
			 November 2011 — 8 55 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2012 — 10 56 
		
	
	The Green Deal and ECO policy teams also draw in support from officials across Department on, for example DECC lawyers, economists, scientists and statisticians.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if his Department plans to cap the number of Green Deal packages allowed to be taken out during the controlled launch period of the Green Deal; and what any such cap will be.

Gregory Barker: We have been in discussion with energy suppliers over proposals to ensure a successful launch and roll out of the domestic Green Deal and are currently in discussion over proposals for the successful launch of the Green Deal for the non domestic sector.
	The results of these discussions will be announced in the Government's response to the Green Deal consultation in due course.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of Green Deal packages that will be taken out between 1 October 2012 and 31 December 2022.

Gregory Barker: Following public consultation, a revised impact assessment (LA) will be published shortly. The draft IA published last year estimated 3.6 million Green Deal packages would be taken out between January 2013 and December 2020. This was a preliminary scenario based on the best then available quantitative evidence. Draft plans by potential Green Deal providers already demonstrate innovative approaches to customer acquisition and sales which are not accounted for in either IA. This and other factors suggest that there should be a significant upside.

Heating: Radioactive Materials

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to repatriate the radioactive contamination removed from the heat exchangers from the Berkeley Magnox nuclear power plant shipped to Studsvik Nuclear AB at Nykoping in Sweden for treatment.

Charles Hendry: Radioactive wastes arising from the treatment of these heat exchangers will be returned to the UK.

Hydroelectric Power

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU water framework directive on the hydropower industry and of the implications of the Environment Agency's interpretation of that directive on future restrictions on hydropower schemes in England and Wales.

Gregory Barker: DECC and DEFRA officials are part of the Environment Agency's Hydropower Working Group (HWG), which is considering revised hydropower good practice guidelines (GPG), including implementing relevant aspects of the EU water framework directive. The HWG includes representatives of the hydro industry and other stakeholders, and is gathering evidence of the impact of different flow regimes on a sample of existing hydropower schemes. The EA aim to publish the revised GPG later this year.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what additional resources he has allocated to fund the Franco-British high-level group on nuclear energy; if he will publish in advance the agenda for each meeting of the group; and if he will publish the minutes of each meeting on his departmental website.

Charles Hendry: The plans for a Franco-British high-level group on nuclear energy are currently being developed in cooperation with our French colleagues, and no decisions have yet been made to publish any documents related to the meeting. The group will be funded from within existing resources.

Oil: Refineries

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on future support for the oil refining industry; and what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on improving UK competitiveness in that industry.

Charles Hendry: The Government recognises the important role that the UK's refining sector plays in the economic life of the country. The Government seeks to ensure that the right conditions exist to attract and retain investment in the UK's refining sector. We work closely with the downstream oil industry and its representatives to understand the impact of policy on the sector and to ensure this understanding is shared across a range of Government Departments. DECC regularly meets BIS and other Government Departments to discuss shared policy interests.

Power Stations

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of Germany's decision to build new coal and gas-fired power stations.

Charles Hendry: Under the Lisbon treaty each EU member state has the right to choose its own energy mix consistent with it being able to meet its EU obligations such as targets for emissions and use of renewable energy.

Power Stations

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any new power station commencing construction before the first allocation of capacity contracts for the British electricity market will be treated as a new plant for the purposes of the capacity market.

Charles Hendry: The Government is considering this, and whether there will be any differentiation between new and existing plants, as part of the detailed design of the capacity market. More information on the developing design of the capacity market will be published later in the spring.

Power Stations

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether electricity market reform will mean new and existing plants are treated differently in the capacity market; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Government is considering this as part of the detailed design of the capacity market. More information on the developing design of the capacity market will be published later in the spring.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the renewable heat premium payment scheme on the viability of bioliquids as a fuel for households without mains gas supply.

Gregory Barker: While we are considering the use of bioliquids in renewable heat incentives prior to any consultation on the long-term support for renewable heat in the domestic sector, bioliquids are not part of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment as this scheme provides grants towards the installation of renewable heating systems certified under the Microgeneration Certification scheme (MCS); there are no bioliquid fuelled renewable heating systems certified under the MCS.

Secondment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department took up secondments to outside organisations in the latest period for which information is available; what the length of each secondment was; what the cost to the Department of each secondment was; and what the name of the organisation and the location of each secondment was.

Gregory Barker: As of 31 March 2011, the following table outlines officials currently on secondment, the duration, cost, name of organisation and location.
	
		
			 Organisation Duration of secondment Location of secondment Cost of secondment (£) 
			 Royal Household 3 months London (1)6,750 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff 2 years 8 months Bristol 0 
			 Horizon Nuclear Power 2 years Gloucester 0 
			 Financial Times 2 years London 0 
			 LOCOG 7 months London 0 
			 Windrush Ventures Ltd 4 years London 0 
			 Shell International Ltd 2 years London 0 
			 (1) Based on average salary for grade.

Travel

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is as follows.
	Between October 2011 and March 2012:
	(a) DECC Ministers made (i) 39 journeys by train and (iii) 105 journeys using Government cars;
	(b) Departmental officials made (i) 151 journeys by train and (iii) 116 journeys using Government cars.
	We do not hold any information on coach travel.
	DECC Ministers use of Government cars have reduced by 28% (down from 276 journeys in 2009-10 to 200 journeys in 2011-12)
	DECC officials use of Government cars has fallen by 48% from 383 in 2009-10 to 199 in 2011-12.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 491W, on the Warm Front scheme, what the average length of time was between the lodging of an application for a Warm Front grant and a decision to accept or reject the application.

Gregory Barker: In 2011-12 the average time taken from application to survey was 38 working days. Applicants are informed at the point of survey whether they qualify for assistance under the scheme.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 491W, on the Warm Front scheme; when he expects the applications for a Warm Front grant that are awaiting a survey to (a) have a survey completed and (b) be informed whether their application has been accepted or rejected.

Gregory Barker: There are two points at which applicants' eligibility for Warm Front assistance is determined: at the time the initial application is made and at survey. Applicants who are deemed potentially eligible for assistance at initial application proceed to have a survey carried out. At survey the surveyor obtains evidence of applicants' eligibility for assistance through proof of qualifying benefit criteria and tenure, and by an assessment of the SAP rating of the property. Applicants are informed at the point of survey whether they qualify for assistance under the scheme. The current average length of time from application to survey is 11 working days.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many loans under both the simplified and non-simplified procedures have been submitted to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development board since September 2011 related to projects in Argentina; and on what dates any such loans were made.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not maintain an aid programme to Argentina and no UK aid is spent providing loans to Argentina at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
	No new loans have been submitted to IBRD since September 2011. However, two requests to restructure existing loans have taken place, one in September 2011 and one in February 2012.
	Specific details are as follows:
	Restructure of National Highway Asset Management Project—board meeting 7 February 2012, loan originally approved 28 June 2007.
	Restructure of Buenos Aires Infrastructure Sustainable Investment Development Adaptable Program Loan Project Phase II—board meeting 30 September 2011, loan originally approved 28 June 2007.

Argentina

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates he expects (a) submissions to be made on International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) projects in Argentina, (b) votes on projects involving Argentina to take place in the IBRD and (c) meetings of the IBRD board to be held under both the simplified and non-simplified procedures on such projects.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not maintain an aid programme to Argentina and no UK aid is spent providing loans to Argentina at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
	I can confirm that at present there are no items relating to Argentina on the current schedule of the World Bank board.

Central Africa: West Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist charities and aid groups working in central and western Africa to eliminate hunger in the region.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government works in a range of countries in central and western Africa. The coalition Government instituted a major review of all bilateral aid, following which our aid programmes have been re-focused on the countries in greatest need.
	The current food crisis in the Sahel region of west Africa has left over 16 million men, women and children at risk of food shortages. The Government has allocated funds to support over 400,000 people through improved nutrition and community livelihoods support such as animal feed and animal vaccinations and cash and or in-kind transfers. This assistance is being provided through the World Food Programme as well as non-governmental organisations such as Save the Children, Oxfam and Action Against Hunger.
	In addition to this short-term emergency response, the UK Government provides through the Programme Partnership Arrangements (PPA) strategic support to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) which aims to increase access to and consumption of high quality foods among target groups. Our support will help GAIN deliver improved nutritional status to at least 60 million people globally.
	The UK also supports the African Union’s Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) programme and its efforts to improve planning and increase spending on agriculture and food security to 10% of national budgets. This should increase agricultural productivity by at least 6% per year to meet the millennium development goal on hunger. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have all signed a CAADP agreement and are preparing agricultural investment plans.

Developing Countries

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote equal access to schools for disabled children in the developing world.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government is committed to helping provide a good quality basic education for all children, including those with a disability. We recognise that disability is a major factor excluding children from school and we are working with our country partners to tailor our education support. For example, in Malawi, we have helped approximately 700,000 children with disabilities to enter education. Through DFID support 4,200 classrooms have been constructed and 70% of these have ramp access. We have also produced a 'Guidance Note' on inclusive education for children with disabilities in developing countries. This note is available on the Department for International Development website.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what special arrangements he plans to make for celebrations of Her Majesty's diamond jubilee in his Department's offices overseas.

Alan Duncan: There are no specific centrally-organised plans for celebrations of Her Majesty's diamond jubilee in DFID offices overseas.
	However, the Government, through DFID, is supporting the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Trust in its work to deliver results for, and improve the lives of, some of the poorest individuals and communities across the Commonwealth.

Global Schools Partnership Scheme

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to promote relationships between schools in the UK and developing countries following the closure of the Global Schools Partnership Scheme.

Stephen O'Brien: The DFID funded Global School Partnerships Programme (GSP) awarded final grants to schools in March 2012, but will continue to provide support and advice to schools that have been awarded grants until March 2013.
	DFID and the British Council will continue to support school linking through a new scheme, which will launch in June this year.

Mining

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2012, Official Report, column 809W, on mining, what consideration he gave to the answer of 28 April 2008, Official Report, column 61W, on coal mining: Bangladesh, when preparing the answer.

Alan Duncan: DFID did not refer to the answer from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) from April 2008 when answering this parliamentary question to DFID on coal mining in Bangladesh.
	Agreement of the coal policy and whether or not to allow open pit mining at Phulbari or elsewhere is a decision that only the Government of Bangladesh can make, but we would expect all environmental and human rights issues to be addressed. GCM, as a British company, is entitled to the support of UK Trade and Investment. Her Majesty's Government is, however, not involved in direct discussions on the Phulbari mine with the Government of Bangladesh.

Official Visits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months.

Andrew Mitchell: In the six-month period ending March 2012 there have been 1,751 train journeys within the UK and Europe, 11 of which were by Ministers. Details of coach and car journeys cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Overseas Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will bring forward proposals in the new Session to place on a statutory basis the Government's commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas aid.

Andrew Mitchell: The coalition Government's “Programme for Government” made clear that it would enshrine the commitment to invest 0.7% of gross national income as official development assistance into law. I am pleased to say that the Government has drafted a Bill to this effect. The Bill is now with business managers, and, as the Prime Minister has made clear, the Government will legislate when parliamentary time allows.

Procurement: Small Business

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on procurement in the fourth quarter of 2010-11; and what proportion of this was with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Alan Duncan: Procurement spend by the Department for International Development in the fourth quarter of 2010-11 was £132.6 million
	At that time, DFID did not track spend with small and medium-sized enterprises and as a result we are unable to provide the proportion of spend that is with SMEs for this period.

St Helena: Airports

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he and Ministers of his Department had with the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Foreign Secretary on the decision to fund an airport in St Helena; and whether the awarding of contracts to build the airport was discussed on any such occasions.

Alan Duncan: Neither I, nor the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), had discussions with the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on the decision to fund an airport in St Helena. DFID and FCO Officials have regular contact regarding the overseas territories and FCO Officials were informed of the decision to proceed to contract, following approval from HMT.

St Helena: Airports

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the evidential basis was for his decision to allocate funding for the building of an airport in St Helena.

Alan Duncan: A great deal of work has been commissioned over many years to provide evidence on which to base a decision. The evidence has been reviewed through the Government's Gateway Review process.
	Two pieces of work were of particular importance. The 2005 feasibility study concluded that developing an airport on St Helena represents best value for money, facilitating economic development on the island, and in the long term leading to a reduction in the requirement for UK support. Further economic analysis in 2010 confirmed this conclusion.

Syria

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the numbers of Syrians who have fled Syria since March 2011 and have sought refuge in (a) Turkey, (b) Iraq, (c) Lebanon and (d) Jordan. [R]

Alan Duncan: The UK is working with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to meet the needs of refugees in the region. UNHCR estimates that there are 48,880 registered Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. However, we understand that in total there are over 80,000 registered and unregistered Syrian refugees in the region.
	UNHCR has made the following estimates of refugee flows from Syria to neighbouring countries: (a) 23,343 refugees from Syria are registered in Turkey. (b) 2,329 refugees from Syria are registered in Iraq. Another 800 people await registration. (c) 11,174 refugees from Syria are registered in Lebanon. A total of 22,000 Syrian refugees are being assisted by UNHCR throughout Lebanon. (d) 12,034 refugees from Syria are registered in Jordan. An additional 4,251 people are awaiting registration and some 30,000 people have been identified by local organisations as in need of assistance in Jordan.

Syria

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department's press release Syria: New British medical aid and help for refugees, published on 19 April 2012, what discussions he has had with (a) the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and (b) other recipient agencies on the destination by country of the humanitarian aid; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of international aid allocated to assist Syrian refugees fleeing to (i) Turkey, (ii) Iraq, (iii) Lebanon and (iv) Jordan. [R]

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State spoke to Antonio Guterres, head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), on 18 April 2012 and officials from the Department for International Development remain in regular contact with the other humanitarian organizations receiving UK funding for their operations in Syria and the region.
	UNHCR and the humanitarian agencies receiving British funding respond flexibly to a rapidly changing situation in order to deliver aid to those who need it most. The largest populations of registered refugees are currently to be found in Turkey, followed by Jordan and Lebanon. UNHCR is working with country Governments and other partners to ensure humanitarian priorities are met. Aid is allocated according to the needs of refugee populations as and when they arise.

Syria

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department's press release Syria: New British medical aid and help for refugees, published on 19 April 2012, if he will make it his policy that the recipient agencies of the announced humanitarian aid should provide to him, by country, information on how and where that aid has been deployed; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alan Duncan: Humanitarian agencies are doing outstanding work delivering food, medical supplies and other assistance both to people affected by the violence within Syria and to refugee populations in neighbouring countries. New British funding, announced on 19 April 2012, will contribute to providing safe and appropriate accommodation for over 1,900 people fleeing their homes as a result of the violence, food for 1,200 people, as well as water and sanitation for 800 people. UK funding will also enable the urgent provision of medical care for at least 25,000 people across Syria and additional medical support as needs arise.
	Regular and effective monitoring is central to how DFID measures the performance of its aid programmes. DFID is engaging closely with all recipient agencies of the humanitarian aid, requesting and interrogating results information and assessing progress against intended outcomes. We are committed to making our aid fully transparent; however, in order to protect the operations of the humanitarian agencies working on the ground, DFID will not be disclosing specific details of where and how these organisations are delivering aid. Information on their performance will still be interrogated and monitored within the Department.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he and Ministers of his Department had discussions with Lord Ashcroft on awarding contracts for the construction of (a) an airport and (b) two hospitals in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Alan Duncan: No Minister at DFID has had any discussions with Lord Ashcroft on awarding contracts for the construction in the Turks and Caicos Islands of an airport or the two hospitals.

Zimbabwe

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the Government is providing to the people of Zimbabwe.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided £88 million of assistance to Zimbabwe in 2011-12. This supported a range of development programmes including health, education, infrastructure, water supplies, child protection and agriculture that directly benefit the poorest and most vulnerable Zimbabweans.
	This assistance is delivered through trusted partners such as UNICEF, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and the African Development Bank; none of it passes through the Government of Zimbabwe.
	By 2015, we plan to have created 125,000 new jobs, provided almost 1 million more people with access to clean water, helped 80,000 more children to complete five years of education and given over 700,000 more women access to family planning.

EDUCATION

Academies

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to reimburse local authorities for the costs incurred in relation to legal transfer issues when schools convert to academy status.

Nick Gibb: We have worked to make the conversion process simple and straightforward to minimise the cost to schools and others including local authorities. To that end, we provide model documentation and clear guidance on the steps they need to take.
	While we appreciate that local authorities, like other organisations, are working within tight financial constraints, we currently have no plans to provide funding. However, we will continue to keep the process and associated costs under review.

Addison Lee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 April 2012
	None of the Ministers, special advisers or officials of the Department for Education have had meetings with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Bedfordshire

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much pupil premium funding was received (a) in South West Bedfordshire and (b) by Central Bedfordshire council in 2011-12; and how many pupils attracted this funding.

Sarah Teather: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 and allocations have so far been made for the 2011-12 financial year only. For 2011-12 the pupil premium funding is £488 per pupil in respect of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM), and for children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and £200 per pupil for those whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
	In 2011-12 the total pupil premium allocation for schools in South West Bedfordshire was £846,000, in respect of 1,750 eligible pupils. This includes 1,723 pupils eligible for the deprivation premium, and 27 pupils eligible for the service premium. Figures for pupils in alternative provision, or looked after children, are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	In 2011-12 the total pupil premium allocation for Central Bedfordshire local authority was £1,695,000, in respect of 3,690 eligible pupils. This includes 3,229 pupils eligible for the deprivation premium, 98 eligible for the looked after premium and 360 eligible for the service premium.

Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an estimate of the amount of time the average child spends on each of the following activities (a) sleeping, (b) in school, (c) travelling, (d) watching television or video or using a computer, (e) physical exercise, (f) personal activities such as eating, dressing and bathing and (g) socialising and playing in each year for which data is available.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The Department does not hold data on how much time children spend on different activities.
	The 2000 Time Use Study carried out by the Office for National Statistics is the best source of data on how people in the UK spend their time. Time use diaries are available for children aged 8 to 13. A 2004 report on these data for the Department shows that on a typical weekday in term time children spent nearly two hours engaged in personal care including washing and eating and a similar amount of time consuming TV, video or music. Between an hour and an hour and a half per weekday was spent on hobbies and games. Much less time was spent on sport (less than half an hour) or reading (less than 15 minutes).(1)
	The diaries also showed that, in 2000, children on average spent over six hours a day on school work during school term weekdays and about half an hour on school term weekends. Children spent less than half an hour per weekday on homework.
	A recent report by the Nuffield Foundation on Changing Adolescence compares the time use of 11 to 15-year-olds in 1974 and 2000. It finds that over this period time spent on sleep, travel and education increased while time spent on domestic activities and employment declined. Further details of the report are available here:
	http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/Changing%20Adolescence_Social%20trends%20and%20mental%20 health_introducing%20the%20main%20findings.pdf
	(1) Egerton, M and Gershuny, J (2004) “Utility of time use data: Report to DfES”, ISER: University of Essex

Children in Care: Vitamin D

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure local authorities review their files to identify any situations where children may have been wrongly taken into care as a result of vitamin D deficiency.

Tim Loughton: The Children Act 1989 sets the legal framework under which a local authority may intervene in family life. In every case where a child is taken into care on a care order, the courts will have considered the evidence and taken the view that the child has been significantly harmed, or would be if they were not taken into care. In every case concerning the upbringing of a child the court is required to treat the welfare of the child concerned as its paramount consideration.
	All looked after children are required to have a care plan, which must include arrangements made to meet the child's health needs. This health plan, which forms part of a child's wider care plan, is informed by an initial health assessment and written report by a registered medical practitioner of the child's state of physical, emotional and mental health. The health plan must be reviewed regularly. The care planning process has clear and transparent reviewing requirements that ensure that children's needs and views as well as those of the parents are regularly taken into account.

Class Sizes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size was in the 16 to 19 education sector in the (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 academic year.

Nick Gibb: Class size information is not available for further education colleges.
	The average class size for year groups 12 and 13 combined in state-funded secondary schools in England was 11.1 in January 2010 and 11.2 in January 2011.
	Class size information is collected during a single selected period in each school on the day of the school census in January. A substantial number of pupils in year groups 12 and 13 were in private study during the selected period and are therefore not included in these figures (around a third of pupils were not included in January 2011).
	The latest available information on class sizes is published in tables 7a to 7c of the Statistical First Release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2011’ available at
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001012/index.shtml

Curriculum: Design

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the future of design and technology classes for all age groups in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government is currently considering the position of design and technology in the National Curriculum alongside other subjects as part of the review of the National Curriculum. We will be announcing the outcome of this shortly.

Elliott School: Playing Fields

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education under which criteria the sale and development of playing fields at Elliott School Wandsworth was approved; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 April 2012
	School playing fields are protected by section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields are approved only when it is demonstrated that the application meets published criteria. There has been no approval of the sale of land at Elliott School. However, I am aware of an imminent application by Wandsworth LA to seek approval for disposal of part of the school site. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), will look at the recommendation of the independent School Playing Fields Advisory Panel before making his final decision.

Elliott School: Playing Fields

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will use his powers under section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to prevent the sale of playing fields at Elliott School in Putney; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	School playing fields are protected by section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State's approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields must contain details of local consultation, are considered by the independent school playing fields advisory panel, and are approved only when it is demonstrated that the application meets published criteria. I am aware of an imminent application by Wandsworth LA to seek approval to dispose of part of its school site.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), will consider the recommendation of the independent school playing fields advisory panel before making his final decision.

GCSE

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has given Ofsted instructions on how the proportion of candidates obtaining particular classification of grades in GCSE results affect Ofsted rating of schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	No instructions have been given to Ofsted on this matter. It is for HM Chief Inspector to give guidance to inspectors and to develop the criteria for the evaluation schedule to underpin school inspections.

GCSE

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of trends in results in GCSE examinations in each year since 2008.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	We publish detailed information on trends in GCSEs results in England, providing both summary statistics and information on individual subjects in our annual statistical first release. The latest publication, 'GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2010/11 (Revised)', is available at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001056/index.shtml
	This contains summary statistics back to 2004/05 in Table 1a and detailed subject level information for 2010/11. Equivalent subject level information for earlier years can be found in previous issues of this statistical release.
	We are concerned that exams in England need to stand up to comparison to the best on offer internationally, and attract confidence so that the efforts of schools and pupils in achieving them are properly recognised. We are therefore reviewing those exams alongside our review of the secondary national curriculum.

GCSE

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils achieved five GCSE A* to C grades including mathematics and English in schools (a) without and (b) with sixth forms in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage of pupils (1)  achieving (2)  5 or more A*-C grade GCSEs (or equivalents) including English and mathematics GCSEs, for schools with and without sixth forms (3,)  years: 2007-2011 (4, 5) , coverage: England (maintained schools) (6) 
			 Percentage 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 With sixth form 49.0 51.2 53.4 57.4 60.2 
			 Without sixth form 40.5 43.3 46.6 52.1 55.6 
			 All maintained schools 45.8 48.2 50.7 55.1 58.2 
			 (1) Pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year or pupils at the end of key stage 4. (2) Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years. (3) Presence of sixth form based on school's status in Edubase on 28 March 2012, so represents a snapshot at this point in time. (4) From 2010 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (5) Figures for 2011 are revised, all other figures are final. (6) Includes all maintained schools, academies and city technology colleges. Excludes hospital schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision and independent schools.

GCSE: Science

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of students (a) were entered for and (b) achieved a grade C or above in GCSE (i) single award science, (ii) double award science, (iii) core science only, (iv) both core and additional science, (v) both core and additional applied science, (vi) either core and additional science or core and additional applied science and (vii) double award additional science at (A) comprehensive, (B) selective, (C) all maintained and (D) independent schools in (1) 1997, (2) 1998, (3) 1999, (4) 2000, (5) 2001, (6) 2002, (7) 2003, (8) 2004, (9) 2005, (10) 2006, (11) 2007, (12) 2008, (13) 2009, (14) 2010 and (15) 2011.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The information requested for 2009, 2010 and 2011 has been placed in the House Libraries. Information for other years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Head Teachers: Secondary Education

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of secondary school head teachers are (a) male and (b) female.

Nick Gibb: In November 2010, the most recent information available, 62% of full-time equivalent head teachers in service in secondary schools in England were male and 38% were female. These figures include academies.
	November 2011 figures will be available from 25 April 2012 and will be available from table 4 at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001062/index.shtml

Immigration Controls: X-rays

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether his Department has raised concerns with the UK Border Agency about its trial of dental x-rays for age assessment purposes;
	(2)  when his Department was first notified about the trial of dental x-rays for age assessment purposes being conducted by the UK Border Agency;
	(3)  with reference to the UK Border Agency's trial of dental x-rays for age assessment purposes, what assessment his Department has made of the acceptability of exposing children to ionising radiation for non-medical purposes;
	(4)  whether his Department gave permission for the age assessments dental x-ray pilot currently being conducted by the UK Border Agency.

Sarah Teather: As Minister for Children and Families I have a responsibility to ensure that the rights of all children are respected, and that their health and wellbeing is protected. The views of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and others, on the use of ionising radiation on children for non medical purposes is well documented. The DFE has had ongoing discussions with the Home Office regarding the policy to trial the use of dental x-rays to determine the age of a young person. I can confirm that no x-rays have taken place and that the trial has stopped. Discussions are currently taking place with the National Research Ethics Service.

Literacy

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve literacy in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government is determined to raise standards of literacy in schools in order to equip all children with the skills they need to succeed.
	We are promoting the teaching of reading through systematic synthetic phonics by making available match-funding of up to £3,000 to all state-funded schools with key stage one pupils so that they can purchase approved systematic synthetic phonics products and training; and are introducing a phonics screening check for pupils at the end of Year One. The new Ofsted inspection framework for schools includes a strong focus on reading and the draft Ofsted inspection framework for Initial Teacher Education reflects an increased emphasis on the quality of understanding and competence in developing pupils' literacy skills.
	We are reviewing the national curriculum to make sure it is rigorous and focuses on the body of essential knowledge in key subjects that all children need to learn.
	Finally, our reform of GCSEs will restore confidence that they are valued, robust qualifications comparable to the best in the world. As part of this, we are introducing an assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar. This will secure rigour and give a real incentive to teach students to write with purpose, accuracy and clarity.

National Childminding Association: Finance

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated to the National Childminding Association in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much such funding was allocated through (i) local authorities and (ii) executive agencies of his Department.

Sarah Teather: The Department allocated £1.39 million in 2010-11, and £550,000 in 2011-12, to the National Childminding Association, through grant programmes to support departmental priorities. The Department does not collect information on funding from local authorities or agencies to external organisations.

Playing Fields: Sales

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the sale of school playing fields where other funding resources are available at local authority level.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	School playing fields are protected by section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. The aim of the legislation is to stop their indiscriminate sale. Published guidance, “The Protection of School Playing Fields and Land for Academies”, sets out clear criteria for sales and establishes a robust system of checks. Schools and authorities must obtain the Secretary of State's approval before they can dispose of their land, and applications to dispose of school playing fields are approved only when it is demonstrated that the land is genuinely surplus.

Playing Fields: Sales

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school playing fields were sold in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what the reasons were for their sale; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 April 2012
	There have been 59 applications for disposal of school playing fields approved since 2007. Approval is normally given where schools have closed and the playing fields are no longer needed or where the disposal of land will result in improvements to an existing school's sporting provision. We do not hold information on whether the playing fields in question have to date actually been sold. Future development of the land to be sold is a matter for the local planning authorities.
	
		
			  Number of approvals 
			 2007 19 
			 2008 8 
			 2009 5 
			 2010 15 
			 2011 6 
			 2012 (to date) 6 
			 Total 59

Primary Education: Sports

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated to primary schools for the purchase of sports equipment in connection with the London 2012 Olympics.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education made available £200 million in devolved formula capital funding for all schools in 2011-12. An additional £200 million has been made available in 2012-13. The Department has not issued a separate grant for the purchase of sports equipment. Schools have full autonomy over how to use their budgets and we expect them to do so in a way that best meets the needs of their pupils.

Pupil Premium: Free School Meals

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has undertaken an impact assessment of the effect of the introduction of the pupil premium on the number of free school meal claimants in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England.

Nick Gibb: The Government completed an impact assessment for all of the reform set out in the White Paper, rather than a specific assessment of the impact of the Pupil Premium on the number of free school meal claimants. The Department has encouraged schools and local authorities to work with parents to increase the number registering for free school meals so that schools receive their maximum Premium allocation. The results of this activity will be available in June when this year's census data are published.

Schools: Capital Investment

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to announce the results of the first round of the (a) Academies Capital Maintenance Fund and (b) private finance initiative Priority School Building Programme applications.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 April 2012
	The initial round of applications to the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund is now being assessed and we are planning to notify academies of the outcome of their applications at the end of May.
	We are planning to announce the outcome of applications for the Priority School Building Programme in May.

Schools: Standards

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been judged (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate by Ofsted in each month since the introduction of the new inspection framework.

Nick Gibb: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Michael Wilshaw dated 25 April 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Since 2005, maintained school inspections have been carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005—and, more recently, the Education Act 2011 (since 1 January 2012). Ofsted records all judgements made by inspectors in section 5 inspections, including the judgement for overall effectiveness of the school.
	Currently no official statistics are available that report on the outcomes of the new inspection framework, which was introduced in January 2012. Data about inspections for the period 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2012 are due to be released on the Ofsted website on 12 June 2012.
	However, some management information on the new framework has been released. This provides an early indication of the outcomes of inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2011 which took place in the first three weeks of January 2012. The figures have not undergone the same rigorous level of quality assurance as official statistics, and cover a relatively small number of schools. Table 1, below, provides a summary of the overall, effectiveness judgement of schools inspected between 6 January 2012 and 20 January 2012.
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			 Table 1: The overall effectiveness of schools inspected between 6 January and 20 January 2012 (percentage of schools) 
			  Judgement (percentage of schools inspected) 
			  Primary Secondary 
			 Total Schools (number) 245 64 
			 Outstanding 5 6 
			 Good 52 33 
			 Satisfactory 30 48 
			 Inadequate 15 13 
			 Source: Ofsted Inspections

Schools: Travel

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to schools and governing bodies on the use of school funds for foreign travel.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not issue guidance to schools or governing bodies on the use of public funds for foreign travel. It is a matter for the school and governing body to ensure the appropriate use of their funds in the interests of their pupils. Individual local authorities may cover this in their financial rules for maintained schools but this is a matter for local decision.
	The use of funds by maintained schools is audited by local authorities, and the use of funds by Academies is independently audited.

Special Educational Needs: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency were assessed for a special educational needs statement in 2011-12; and how many of these were (a) provided with and (b) refused a statement.

Sarah Teather: Information on the number of children assessed for a special educational needs statement during the calendar year 2011 is still being processed and will be available in the summer. Information is collected at local authority level; the Department is therefore unable to provide parliamentary constituency information. Information on the number of children assessed in Birmingham local authority during the calendar year 2010 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Assessment of children with new statements of special educational needs (SEN) during 2010 
			  Total children assessed for SEN during the calendar year 2010 Children assessed under section 323 of the Education Act 1996 during t he calendar year 2010 for whom no  statement was issued Children for whom statements were made for the first time during the calendar year 2010 (1) 
			  Number Number Percentage (2) Number Percentage (2) 
			 Birmingham local authority area 730 8 1.1 720 98.9 
			 England 26,870 985 3.7 25,885 96.3 
			 (1) Total children assessed for SEN and children for whom statements were made for the first time have been rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Expressed as a percentage of all new assessments made during the calendar year 2010. Source: SEN 2 Survey 2011. 
		
	
	This information is from table 20 of the ‘Special Educational Needs in England: January 2011' Statistical First Release which can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001007/index.shtml

Special Educational Needs: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency are on a waiting list for an assessment for a special educational needs statement.

Sarah Teather: The requested information is not collected centrally.
	The available information on pupils with statements of special educational needs (including school level data) is published in the 'Special Educational Needs in England: January 2011' Statistical First Release which can be found at
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001007/index.shtml

Teachers: Pay

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence he plans to submit to the School Teachers Review Body on regional pay for teachers.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), does not intend that a copy of his evidence to the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) will be placed in the House Library. It will be made available to download from the Department's website once the Review Body confirms it has received all evidence from statutory consultees. When the STRB's 21st Report is published later this year a copy of the report will be placed in the House Libraries at that time.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether he has made an estimate of how many hours of advertising on television each year is targeted at children aged between four and 12;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on monitoring advertising aimed at children in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Vaizey: No estimate has been made of the hours of advertising on television each year targeted at children, and the Department has not spent anything on monitoring of advertising aimed at children in each of the last 10 years. However, the independent advertising regulators, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ofcom continue to conduct monitoring and research on a range of advertising issues as part of their responsibility for ensuring that the advertising codes continue to provide suitable consumer protection and are adhered to by advertisers in all media.

Arts: Attendance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of public sector redundancies on attendance figures for the arts in the (a) North East, (b) West Midlands and (c) North West Region.

Edward Vaizey: This Department has made no such assessment. Engagement in the arts at present is measured by the Department's Taking Part survey. This shows that since the survey began there has been a significant increase in people who have engaged in the arts "once or more in the last year", from 71.5% in 2006-07 to 75.3% in 2011, in the North West. The percentage of people who have engaged in the arts "once or more in the last year" in the North East and West Midlands has not changed significantly over this time.
	The full data by region is available on the Department's website, under 'Arts' in the 'Area-level variables' tab:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8938.aspx

Arts: Grants

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England awarded to arts projects specialising in working with (a) the criminal justice system and (b) the national health service in each year for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England (ACE) does not separately record the funding awarded to projects that look to work specifically with the criminal justice system or national health service. However, it does fund a number of organisations that work with the criminal justice system. These include London's Clean Break Theatre Company (£214,949 in 2011-12), the Geese Theatre Company of the West Midlands (£27,824 in 2011-12) and the Tipp Centre in the North West of England (£34,548 in 2011-12).
	Over the last five years, there have also been funds awarded through grants for the arts to a number of NHS trusts. These include Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (£85,523), Sussex Partnership NHS Trust (£45,000) and Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust (£4,500).

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the extent to which emails between Frederic Michel and representatives of his Department have breached Office of Fair Trading guidance in the last two years.

Jeremy Hunt: The Office of Fair Trading has guidance for its own internal processes, but this does not apply to the Secretary of State's consideration. I have followed due process throughout I sought the advice of independent regulators and, after careful consideration, acted on their advice. I published all advice that I have received from Ofcom and the OFT, together with correspondence between myself and News Corporation, including details of all meetings that I held in relation to this process.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether Adam Smith was the point of contact for opponents of the News International bid to take over BSkyB.

Jeremy Hunt: As I said to the House on 25 April 2012, Official Report, columns 955-75, Adam Smith was acting as one point of contact within my Department during the process of the News International bid to take over BSkyB. Officials and legal advisers were also points of contact and I followed due process at all times.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) his special advisers had with Alex Salmond, his officials or his special advisers on the bid for BSkyB; and when such discussions took place.

Jeremy Hunt: I can confirm that I did not at any time discuss the BSkyB bid with Alex Salmond. I can also confirm that there are no records indicating any such discussions took place between my departmental officials or my special advisers and those of Mr Salmond.
	Mr Salmond's office contacted mine to request a telephone call on 3 March 2011, and again a number of times in the following days. However, I can confirm that no such call took place or was ever scheduled.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has received any representations from the Scottish Executive on the BSkyB takeover bid; and what account he took of any such representations.

Jeremy Hunt: I can confirm that the Department has no record of any written representations from the Scottish Executive on the BSkyB bid.
	Alex Salmond’s office contacted mine to request a telephone call on 3 March 2011, and again a number of times in the following days. However, I can confirm that no such call took place or was ever scheduled.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he spoke to Alex Salmond on 3 March 2011; what was discussed; whether his officials were party to that conversation; and if he will publish any notes of the conversation.

Jeremy Hunt: Departmental records show that Alex Salmond's office contacted mine to request a telephone call on 3 March 2011, and again a number of times in the following days. However, I can confirm that no such call took place or was ever scheduled.

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his meeting with James Murdoch on 28 June 2010, what advice he received from his Department before the meeting on (a) whether a civil servant should attend, (b) what subjects should be discussed and (c) what record should be made.

Jeremy Hunt: I was not informed that an official should be present. However, in light of recent events, it is now my Department's practice that officials should attend such meetings.
	This was one of a number of informal introductory meetings I held with various leaders across the media landscape. No minutes were taken, but the main points of discussion were local TV and broadband.
	This meeting was the subject of an FoI request and is set out in the quarterly list of meetings on the DCMS website, a link to which can be found here:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/2010/10/28/dcms-ministerial-hospitality-and-meetings-with-outside-interest-groups-13-may-31-july-2010/

British Sky Broadcasting: News Corporation

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library all the (a) emails and (b) text messages between himself and Frederic Michel of News Corporation between 1 June 2010 and 31 July 2011;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library all the (a) emails and (b) text messages between (i) himself and Adam Smith and (ii) Adam Smith and Frederic Michel of News Corporation between 1 June 2010 and 31 July 2011.

Jeremy Hunt: I am in the process of preparing my evidence for the Leveson Inquiry, which will include all relevant information held by myself and my Department relating to News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB. This information will be published in due course.

Gambling

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received from Gamcare; and what assessment he has made of such representations in assessing the effect of gambling addiction.

John Penrose: No representations have been received recently from GamCare. Problem gambling remains something the Government takes very seriously and I'm therefore pleased with the successful launch of the Responsible Gambling Trust on 17 April 2012. A new structure for fundraising and distribution for problem gambling research, education and treatment is now in place and this will include services provided by organisations such as GamCare.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects to publish the rental terms for the parts of the spectrum that are used for mobile communications.

Edward Vaizey: The setting of annual licence fees for mobile spectrum is a matter for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom is however required by the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to Ofcom) Order 2010 to revise the sums prescribed by regulations under section 12 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 for 900 MHz and 1800 MHz licences. This is so that they reflect the full market value of the frequencies in those bands, having particular regard to the sums bid for licences in the auction of the 800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. As such, I understand that Ofcom expects to publish proposals for revised licence fees for these 900 MHz and 1800 MHz licences after the auction has finished.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost to business of the delay in the implementation of a 4G mobile network.

Edward Vaizey: I have made no estimate of any cost to business associated with a delay as I expect the deployment of 4G mobile services in 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz to begin in 2013 in the UK, when the spectrum has been cleared and is available for 4G services to be deployed. The recent Ofcom second consultation, which closed on 19 April, on the terms of the auction of the spectrum does not affect the timing of the availability of the spectrum.
	In addition, you may be aware of Ofcom’s recent announcement of a consultation on liberalising the licensing requirements for the 1800 MHz band to allow deployment of 4G services in that band. Ofcom’s proposals stem from a request from Everything Everywhere to authorise the use of LTE technology under their licences for 1800 MHz spectrum. This consultation closes on 8 May 2012.

Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will require mobile telephone operators bidding in the spectrum auction to (a) provide filters or (b) provide equipment and professional installation support if required for digital television consumers whose reception is affected after 4G mobile services come into operation;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers in (a) multi-occupancy dwellings and (b) public buildings do not incur costs to retain digital television reception after 4G mobile services come into operation following the spectrum auction;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of households who will require professional installation support to guarantee digital television reception after 4G mobile services come into operation following the spectrum auction;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of households whose digital television reception will be affected once 4G mobile services come into operation following the spectrum auction.

Edward Vaizey: On 21 February 2012, I announced a £180 million scheme to fund solutions to interference to TV reception from new mobile services to be offered in the 800 MHz spectrum. Ofcom took account of this scheme in its second consultation on co-existence issues between television services and mobile services in the 800 MHz band published on 23 February 2012. This consultation sought responses on a number of questions related to how this scheme should be implemented. This consultation closed on 19 April and Ofcom are now considering all responses received. Ofcom expect to publish a statement on the results of this consultation in the summer.

National Lottery

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will require the national lottery to publish by (a) local authority area, (b) region and (c) postcode its income from sales of lottery tickets in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: We have no plans to do this, because the many ways in which players buy tickets make a geographical breakdown meaningless, and matching it against places where grants have been awarded does not work because the head offices of organisations which win lottery funding are not necessarily in the places where the money is spent, as I explained on the Department’s website earlier this year at:
	http://blogs.culture.gov.uk/main/2012/01/scandals_weary _old_nonsense_an.html

Olympic Games 2012

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to publish details of (a) the starting time of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, (b) the time at which the Athletes' Parade is scheduled to start, (c) the time at which the British team will enter the stadium and (d) how many members of the British team are expected to take part in the opening ceremony.

Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is the private company, independent of Government, responsible for staging the Games. This includes the opening and closing ceremonies. The opening ceremony will begin in the Olympic Stadium at 9 pm on 27 July 2012. The Department has no plans to publish a running order. Arrangements should remain under wraps, as is traditional for ceremonies, to build excitement.
	The Olympic Village is closer to the Olympic Stadium than previous Games, and internal transport will be provided by LOCOG to ensure a great experience for athletes that want to take part in the Athletes' Parade. Ultimately it will be for each Team GB athlete to decide whether to take part, considering the demands of their competition schedule.

Olympic Games 2012

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that costs incurred in the transportation of the Olympic Torch by LOCOG are not disproportionate.

Hugh Robertson: The costs of staging the Olympic Torch relay operation are met by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), as a private company funded primarily by sponsorship, ticketing, the sale of media rights and merchandise. Local authorities on the route have entered into agreements to cover ancillary costs. There is no direct central Government funding for staging the Olympic Torch relay.

Olympic Games 2012

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many tickets, in what sports, have not yet been sold via the (a) UK ticketing process and (b) overseas ticketing processes for the London 2012 (i) Olympics and (ii) Paralympics; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), which is a private company operating independently of Government. Around 7 million of the 11 million tickets have so far been purchased; there are approximately 4 million tickets still to be sold including around 2.5 million Olympic tickets (including 1.5 million football) and 1.5 million Paralympic tickets. These tickets will go on sale from May.
	Overall 75% of tickets will be available through the UK ticketing process, the remainder made available to National Olympic Committees (primarily for them to sell to international sports fans), the International Olympic Committee, international federations, sponsors and stakeholders, broadcast rights holders, prestige ticketing partners and Thomas Cook for domestic break packages.

Olympic Games 2012

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate the London 2012 Organising Committee has made of the number of purchasers of undelivered tickets for the London 2012 Olympics they may have to contact in order to ensure that purchasers receive their tickets in time; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), which is a private company operating independently of Government. LOCOG is committed to ensuring all purchasers receive their tickets.

Olympic Games 2012

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when his Department plans to publish the report by the Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority on the business benefits of the London 2012 construction project.

Hugh Robertson: The report will be published ahead of the British Business Embassy at Lancaster House which will promote British business through the Olympic Games.

Television

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of whether technological developments can help parents to monitor and control the use their children make of television and computers.

Edward Vaizey: The Government takes child safety online extremely seriously, which is why we established the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), chaired jointly by Ministers from the Department for Education and the Home Office. UKCCIS is working with industry and others such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to ensure that a range of technological solutions are available to enable parents to monitor and control the content their children can access online and through internet enabled television. This work is progressing well, but we are clear that we will look at regulation if industry action does not go far or fast enough.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Christianity

Karl McCartney: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of instructing lawyers in respect of the European Court of Human Rights case relating to the right to wear symbols of the Christian faith at work.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 18 April 2012
	The legal costs cannot be broken down to relate to specific cases in the way requested.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies operating under the National Apprenticeship Service are incentivised to hire apprentices after their training is complete.

John Hayes: Apprentices must be formally employed during their apprenticeship, and a large number are employed on permanent contracts which continue once their training has completed.
	After investing heavily in an apprentice, it would make business sense for the employer to keep employing the individual when their apprenticeship ends.
	Evidence shows that apprenticeships deliver economic and social benefits to individuals in terms of higher wages and improved employment prospects, to businesses in the form of higher profits and increased competitiveness, and to the wider economy and society as a whole. Satisfaction rates for apprenticeships are high, with individuals recognising that the impact of apprenticeship training is significant and helps with career prospects. Apprentices and employers tell us that doing an apprenticeship increases workforce morale and individuals' loyalty to their employer, particularly where employers support individual apprentices to continue to progress within their business.
	The Government is working to improve the quality of Apprenticeships and to ensure individuals and employers understand the benefits which apprenticeships bring. Among the quality improvement measures being undertaken by the National Apprenticeship Service are efforts to ensure apprenticeships offer real, sustainable employment. We will continue to champion these benefits to encourage employers to invest in apprenticeships.

Apprentices

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department takes to monitor the treatment of apprentices taking part in an apprenticeship through the National Apprenticeship Service.

John Hayes: Following the introduction of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 apprentices are required to be employed under an apprenticeship agreement which is treated as a contract of service for the purposes of the Employment Rights Act 1996, unless exempted under alternative completion conditions. This gives apprentices the same statutory rights as other employees.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not routinely monitor the treatment of apprentices. Providers work closely with individual apprentices and employers and support the apprentice during the period on the apprenticeship. Provider effectiveness in this role is quality assured through the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspection process and is monitored through the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS). Concerns raised by individuals regarding their apprenticeship are dealt with in the first instance by either the training provider or the employer's own complaints procedures. Where necessary the National Apprenticeship Service and the Skills Funding Agency will review any concern or complaint regarding the delivery of the apprenticeship in accordance with the Skills Funding Agency's Provider Complaints process and take appropriate action.
	Feedback from apprentices is gathered through the FE Choices (previously Framework for Excellence) annual learner satisfaction survey, as part of their suite of indicators. These relate specifically to satisfaction with the provider, and the results are published.
	BIS and the National Apprenticeship Service have also conducted a learner evaluation survey which is due for publication shortly, which covers current apprentices and those who have recently completed their apprenticeship.
	As I have said on a number of occasions, this Government is absolutely committed to high quality Apprenticeships and to eradicating poor quality and practice. Following the recent Panorama programme I have directed the National Apprenticeship Service to investigate fully the issued raised and report to me by the end of May.

Apprentices

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what statistics his Department holds on rates of employment for those finishing an apprenticeship through the National Apprenticeship Service.

John Hayes: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (with the National Apprenticeship Service—NAS) undertakes surveys of apprentices which ask about their employment outcomes. A recent survey (forthcoming May 2012) shows that 85% of apprenticeship completers are employed by an employer at the time of the survey with a further 4% being self-employed.
	This gives a total of 89% in employment at the time of the survey However, only 8% are unemployed with the remaining 3% being in further or higher education.
	In this survey “apprenticeship completers” are people who completed their apprenticeship in the last 12 months.
	A previous survey commissioned by the former Learning and Skills Council (LSC)(1) looked at the employment status of individuals at the time of the interview (December 2008/January 2009), by when they completed their apprenticeship, going back to 2003/04. The results are very similar with around 9% being unemployed and similar levels in further and higher education.
	(1) The Benefits of Completing an Apprenticeship LSC 2009

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that apprentices receive adequate on the job and off the job training.

John Hayes: In April 2011 the Government introduced new statutory Specification of Apprenticeship Standards, which set out what every apprenticeship framework must include. These standards require apprentices to undertake specific on and off the job training in order to achieve the relevant qualifications. Awarding organisations have strict assessment criteria in place to ensure that the relevant requirements are met before a certificate is awarded. Additionally, as a condition of funding, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) requires that an individual training plan is agreed between the individual apprentice and the training provider setting out the training objectives and the way in which they will be delivered. In accordance with the provisions of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (ASCL), the apprentice must provide evidence, usually by declaration, that they have completed the on and off the job training required by the framework and set out in their training plan. The certifying authority may only issue an apprenticeship certificate provided these conditions have been met.
	The Skills Funding Agency, on behalf of the NAS regularly investigate any instances where concerns are raised about the quality of training provided. If providers are found to not be meeting these requirements, provision must be reformed or funding withdrawn. In cases where subcontractors are found to not be providing adequate training, the relevant prime contractor is held responsible.
	As I have said on a number of occasions, this Government is absolutely committed to high quality apprenticeships and to eradicating poor quality and practice. Following the recent Panorama programme I have directed the NAS to investigate fully the issued raised and report to me by the end of May.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many apprentices have completed training in (a) agriculture, horticulture and animal care, (b) arts, media and publishing, (c) business, administration and law, (d) construction, planning and the built environment, (e) education and training, (f) engineering and manufacturing technologies, (g) health, public services and care, (h) information and communication and technology, (i) leisure, travel and tourism and (j) retail and commercial enterprise in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many apprentices failed to complete their training in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the west midlands and (d) Dudley in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many apprenticeships have been completed in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the west midlands and (d) Dudley North constituency in each of the last three years; and how long any such apprenticeship lasted for.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship achievements by sector subject area in the last three years for which full data are available:
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship achievements by sector subject area, 2008/09 to 2010/11, England 
			 Sector subject area 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 3,160 3,660 4,120 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 10 230 330 
			 Business, Administration and Law 36,390 46,740 57,950 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 22,330 20,830 18,390 
			 Education and Training 150 540 770 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 22,890 26,090 27,040 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 19,430 24,380 28,230 
			 Information and Communication Technology 5,670 7,770 10,510 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 5,900 9,160 11,160 
			 Preparation for Life and Work (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 27,430 32,090 41,770 
			 Science and Mathematics (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Unknown 30 (1)— (1)— 
			 Grand total 143,400 171,500 200,300 
			 (1) Indicates a base value of less than five. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for grand totals which are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Numbers are a count of the number of achievements at any point during the year. Learners achieving more than one framework will appear more than once. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of apprenticeship achievements and success rates in Dudley North constituency, Dudley local authority, the west midlands and England in the last three years for which full data are available. Success rates have not been calculated at constituency level due to the small numbers involved. The Department does not collect information relating to the devolved Administrations.
	
		
			 Table 2: Apprenticeship achievements and success rates by geography, 2008/09 to 2010/11 
			  Achievements Success rates  (%) 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Dudley North 330 420 440 (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Dudley 1,120 1,400 1,450 73.9 76.7 76.8 
			 West Midlands 17,280 19,410 22,990 72.5 74.4 76.5 
			 England 143,400 171,500 200,300 70.9 73.8 76.4 
			 (1) Indicates success rates are not available at constituency level due to small numbers. Notes: 1. Achievements are rounded to the nearest 10 except for England totals which are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. The England figures include some postcodes which are not known. 3. These figures are based on the geographic boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record Notes: 
		
	
	In 2010/11, the national average length of time registered on apprenticeship programmes was 13 months. This compares to 15 months in 2009/10. Figures are not available for 2008/09.
	Figures are not readily available below national level. I will write to you with sub-national figures when they are available.
	Care should be taken when interpreting and comparing the average length of all apprenticeships across years as it does not account for the change in the mix of apprenticeship levels and frameworks. For example, if a greater proportion of apprenticeship achievements were frameworks that were typically shorter, this would bring down the overall average length despite no change in the length of a particular framework. Therefore a better comparison is at sector subject area, which addresses some of these issues.
	These figures do not necessarily reflect the guided learning hours or the actual length of time in learning. For these reasons, and given other key factors, they should be seen as contributory information to any broader assessment of the apprenticeship experience and quality.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts, achievements and success rates is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29March 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirst release/sfr_current
	Breakdowns by geography are published in supplementary tables at the following links:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirst release/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_ supplementary_tables/
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirst release/sfr_supplementary_tables/success_rates_sfr_supplementary_tables/

Apprentices: Minimum Wage

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what criteria his Department uses to distinguish apprenticeships that attract the national apprentice rate from work attracting the national minimum wage;
	(2)  what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that organisations do not replace jobs paying the national minimum wage with apprenticeships paying the national apprentice rate.

John Hayes: Employers are entitled to pay the apprentice national minimum wage rate for employees who are undertaking a SASE compliant apprenticeship framework. Employers can however choose to pay a higher rate than the apprentice national minimum wage.
	An apprenticeship represents a significant commitment of resources by an employer in terms of training, management and supervision, as well as salary, especially for the younger and less experienced apprentices to whom the apprenticeship rate of the national minimum wage applies.
	The coalition Government has strengthened the pay arrangements for apprentices by bringing them within the national minimum wage framework. A new minimum wage rate for apprentices was introduced from October 2010 and applies to apprentices aged under 19 and those aged 19 and over in the first year of their apprenticeship. From 1 October 2011, the minimum rate for apprentices is £2.60 per hour (increasing to £2.65 from 1 October 2012), in line with the Low Pay Commission's recommendations for this year's national minimum wage rate. Apprentices aged 19 and over, who have completed a year on their apprenticeship, continue to remain eligible for the full national minimum wage rate appropriate to their age.
	The Government believes that the rate recommended by the Low Pay Commission is prudent, and provides a fair deal for apprentices which protects them from exploitation but at the same time does not deter business from taking them on.
	Young people who complete an apprenticeship derive significant long-term advantages. Those with an intermediate level apprenticeship earn on average between £48,000 and £74,000 more over their lifetime than similar individuals with Level 1 or 2 qualifications, and people with an advanced level apprenticeship earn on average between £77,000 and £117,000 more. Therefore, when apprentices accept a lower wage during training, it is in the knowledge that they will receive future higher earnings.

Computers

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many computers and related equipment have been purchased by his Department and its public bodies since May 2010; and what the (a) makes and (b) costs were.

Norman Lamb: The Departments Core IT services are provided by Fujitsu Services under the terms of a private finance initiative (PFI) outsourcing contract. The outsourcing contract was let in 1999 for 15 years. All our networked computers are owned by Fujitsu and the Department pays a service charge for use and support of the network and computers.
	Devices are deployed by Fujitsu as required and the number being used varies at any one time.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not keep detailed information on numbers and makes of computers purchased by its public bodies.

Foreign Students: Israel

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of progress with the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership Regenerative Medicine Initiative.

David Willetts: In October 2011 the MRC and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology agreed to establish a joint fellowship exchange scheme under the umbrella of the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership in Regenerative Medicine. The aim of the joint fellowships is to further enhance collaboration between the countries in the area of regenerative medicine.
	Details of the scheme are currently being finalised.

Forward Thinking Training Solutions

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse was awarded to Forward Thinking Training Solutions of Basingstoke before it entered administration in March 2012.

John Hayes: The chief executive of Skills Funding is responsible for the public funding of post-19 education and training and all associated contracting matters, and as such I have asked the chief executive to write in response to this question. A copy of his letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress he has made on the state aid application for the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: The UK is currently engaged in detailed pre-notification state aid discussions with the EU Commission on our proposal to create the Green Investment Bank. The timetable for the approval process is not in the UK's control but we are optimistic about the prospects for obtaining an approval on a relatively early timescale.

Higher Education

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what statutory provision has been made for the appointment of student governors of higher education establishments.

David Willetts: All providers of higher education are autonomous, independent organisations. As such they are responsible for determining their own governance arrangements, including the effective representation of students.
	We do recognise the value of effective student representation and the role which students' unions play in facilitating partnerships between higher education institutions and their students. This was highlighted in the Higher Education White Paper, alongside a number of measures designed to encourage greater student engagement. For example, Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) review teams now include student representatives and we endorse the use of student charters, which are jointly agreed by institutions and students' unions.

Higher Education: Assets

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the disposal of assets of significant value by institutions of higher education in receipt of public funding.

David Willetts: As independent charitable institutions, it is for higher education institutions (HEIs) to manage their operations in accordance with the law to ensure they are responsive to student choice and can continue to flourish. They must therefore comply with charity and trust law and take steps to ensure they maximise sales proceeds when disposing of any assets. Issues of estates management, including the disposal of land and buildings, are managed by HEIs in accordance with their Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Financial Memorandum, which is in place with each HEI.

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley in receipt of free school meals started a higher education course in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The estimated number of pupils from maintained schools in the London borough of Bexley with free school meals at age 15 who progressed to higher education by age 19 by academic year is contained in the following table. Figures are not available by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			 Academic year Former FSM students in HE by age 19 (1) 
			 2006/07 40 
			 2007/08 50 
			 2008/09 40 
			 (1) Student numbers are rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Matched data from the DfE National Pupil Database, the HESA Student Record and the LSC ILR. 
		
	
	Robust information is not available for earlier years. Figures on progression of pupils with free school meals to higher education were published in the BIS Widening Participation statistical release of August 2011.
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/analysis/statistics/higher-education/official-statistics-releases/widening-participation-in-higher-education/analysis-of-progression-rates-for-young-people-in-england-by-free-school-meal-receipt
	The data published by BIS included national figures and the percentage of pupils progressing to higher education at local authority level. The next release, planned for August 2012, will cover those who have reached higher education by age 19 in 2009/10.

Lyons Painters and Decorators: Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the standard of training offered to apprentices by Lyons Painters and Decorators in Stourbridge, Dudley;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect on apprentices in the Dudley area of Forward Thinking Training Solutions going into administration.

John Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) have taken action to address concerns with Forward Thinking Training Solutions (FTTS), who provided off the job training as subcontractors to other training providers for apprentices at Lyons Painters and Decorators.
	FTTS were subcontracted by Bourneville College, Stourbridge College and JHP Group Ltd to deliver apprenticeship training for Lyons Painters and Decorators. Under the direction of the SFA and the NAS, these three prime contractors undertook a full audit of the apprentices. Where issues were identified with FTTS training, each of the prime contractors followed up with each individual apprentice to offer support, guidance and access to other apprenticeship opportunities, or other provision, to help the individuals back into training and towards work.
	FTTS were the subject of a national review and the NAS and the SFA suspended all payments to these providers for this delivery pending the review, to safeguard public funds.
	As a result of this intervention FTTS have now entered into administration and are no longer involved in the apprenticeship programme.

Non-domestic Rates

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government regarding companies that offer to negotiate discounts to business rates for small businesses.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The Government has put in place a small business rate relief scheme, which provides eligible small businesses with a fixed discount on their business rates bills. It is for local authorities to apply the eligibility criteria. There is no need to pay a third party to “negotiate” a discount to which the ratepayer is entitled by law.
	We have simplified the process for claiming the relief by removing the legal requirement for ratepayers to submit an application form. Any ratepayer can contact their local authority, free of charge, to discuss whether they might be eligible.

Overseas Students: Higher Education

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from other EU member states attending UK universities have student loans.

David Willetts: Generally students from non-UK EU member states are entitled to loans for tuition fees only. These are paid to the institution where the student studies, not the student.
	Figures on the number of EU students taking out an Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loan to pay their institution tuition fees are published each year by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the publication “Student Support for Higher Education in England”. The latest publication is available via the following link and the relevant table is table 4B:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/140371/slcsfr062011.pdf

Overseas Students: Higher Education

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many students from other EU member states enrolled in UK universities in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many students from other EU member states are studying at UK universities.

David Willetts: Information on the number of enrolments at UK higher education institutions domiciled in European Union (EU) member states (other than the UK) is shown in the following table. Figures are provided for the academic years 1997/98 to 2010/11. Information for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from January 2013.
	
		
			 Other EU domiciled (1)  enrolments (2) , UK higher education institutions; academic years 1997/98 to 2010/11 
			 Academic year Enrolments 
			 1997/98 92,850 
			 1998/99 98,190 
			 1999/2000 98,500 
			 2000/01 97,395 
			 2001/02 91,765 
			 2002/03 90,835 
			 2003/04 89,975 
			 2004/05 98,855 
			 2005/06 103,735 
			 2006/07 108,265 
			 2007/08 114,530 
			 2008/09 120,265 
			 2009/10 129,215 
			 2010/11 134,475 
			 (1) Domicile refers to the country of a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Covers students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a snapshot as at 1 December and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Overseas Students: Higher Education

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of EU students leaving UK universities repaid their student loans in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The repayment status of borrowers who take out Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loans is published by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Official Statistics release “Income Contingent Repayments by Repayment Cohort and Tax Year”.
	The most recent release was published in June 2011 and refers to financial year 2010-11:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/77960/SLCOSP022011.pdf
	Tables 1 (iii) and 1 (iv) contain figures for non-UK EU students who studied at English institutions.

Overseas Trade: Surveys

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will respond to the findings of the British Chambers of Commerce’s trade survey entitled Exporting is Good for Britain: Skills.

Mark Prisk: The Government welcomes the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) survey “Exporting is good for Britain and exporters need skills”. The Government’s ambition is to have a world-class skills base that provides a consistent source of global competitive advantage returning the economy to sustainable growth.
	Businesses are in the best position to understand what skills, including those for exporting, are required for their sector or industry. So we are making sure that the skills system is not led by Government, but by employers and individuals themselves. As a Government, we are empowering them with the support and information they need to make confident choices and shape the system to deliver.
	Through the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Government helps UK-based companies gain the skills needed to succeed in the global economy through a range of programmes, under their Helping Your Business Grow Internationally trade development product.
	Excellent leadership and management skills lie at the heart of outstanding business performance, so we have prioritised funding for these skills for small and medium-sized enterprises who demonstrate the potential for growth. Building their capability and confidence to move and expand into the export market. Aligned with leadership and management support, Business Coaching for Growth will provide strategic advice, coaching mentoring and access to knowledge networks to help them achieve their growth potential.

Overseas Trade: Surveys

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will respond to the findings of the British Chambers of Commerce's Exporting is Good for Britain and Exporters Need Skills trade survey.

John Hayes: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Alun Cairns), on 25 April 2012, Official Report, columns 948-949W.

Post Office

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to Post Office Ltd to delay the roll-out of the post office local model until a full public consultation has taken place.

Norman Lamb: No. The Post Office Local model will contribute substantially to the long-term sustainability of the post office network. Any moves to this model by sub-postmasters will be voluntary. Post Office Ltd has a code of practice agreed with Consumer Focus covering the local public consultation and communication processes that are undertaken when there are changes to the branches in the network. Independent research undertaken on behalf of Post Office Ltd has found satisfaction levels at both Local and Main pilot branches well in excess of 90%.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Independent Advisory Panel on the Regional Growth Fund (a) ranks the bids and (b) provides reasons for the rejection of bids submitted to the fund when presenting its advice to Ministers.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 26 April 2012
	The information is as follows:
	(a) Regional Growth Fund bids are not ranked by the Independent Advisory Panel (IAP).
	(b) In some cases, the IAP provided reasons why bids were not selected.

Students: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many banks are participating in the career development loan scheme; and what assurances he has received from such banks that the current scheme will continue.

John Hayes: holding answer 26 April 2012
	Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Bank are delivering professional and career development loans (PCDLs) on behalf of the Government.
	Both banks remain committed to offering PCDLs. The Skills Funding Agency, as scheme administrator, is currently engaged in discussions with the banks to enhance the learner experience.
	A review of PCDLs will take place following the introduction of Government-backed fee loans in further education.

Students: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to monitor hidden costs to students undertaking undergraduate degree courses.

David Willetts: The Department does not monitor the costs associated with specific courses.
	Increasing transparency and providing more information to students is central to our higher education reforms. We expect universities to provide useful information to their students and be transparent about additional course costs.
	The new UK Quality Code for Higher Education, developed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in consultation with the higher education sector, sets out an expectation that higher education institutions offer valid, reliable, useful and accessible information about their provision. The Code comes into operation from this academic year (2012/13) when the QAA review will also include a judgment on the quality of the information higher education institutions provide.
	More widely, through the publication of the Key Information Set, which will be available from September 2012, we are encouraging universities to publish information in those areas that research has shown that students find most useful. This will include the costs of tuition fees, bursaries and the costs of accommodation. Accommodation costs will cover both provision owned/sponsored by institutions and accommodation managed by private landlords and agents.
	We are also encouraging universities to produce student charters to set out what the university will provide, and what is expected of students in return. Charters link to more detailed information (e.g. handbooks) for each course. The 'suggested list of items' for charters includes "essential course costs and estimate of additional costs". It is expected that charters are jointly developed and agreed with local students' unions, to ensure that priority areas are covered.
	We are also putting in place a more progressive living costs package for first time undergraduates in 2012/13, with an increased grant for living costs worth £3,250 for all students from households with an income up to £25,000 and increased loans for living costs of up to £5,500 (or up to £7,675 for students living away from home and studying in London). In fact, most students will receive a more generous living cost package under the new regime than under the current system.
	For many of the most disadvantaged students they will have access to the new National Scholarship Programme (NSP). In the NSP, universities have a menu of options through which they can deliver a benefit of at least £3,000 (with pro-rata awards for part-time students). The NSP menu includes help with accommodation costs or other institutional services as well as a cash bursary up to £1,000. Institutions will decide which options they make available and the target group to receive them.

Students: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to review the effects of his Department's student fees and funding charge system over time; and if he will publish the arrangements for any such review.

David Willetts: An impact assessment was published in June 2011 to accompany the Higher Education White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’, which included a post-implementation review plan.
	The assessment of the impacts of the higher education reforms will be an ongoing exercise using a range of approaches from monitoring based on administrative data sources to specially designed and commissioned evaluation studies to understand the operation or impact of specific aspects. Many aspects can be monitored from administrative data sources on an ongoing basis for example overall levels of applications, participation and completion of different types of students in different types of institutions, modes of study and subject areas.
	A key element of the reforms is the introduction of the National Scholarship Programme (NSP). Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) have recently commissioned a formative evaluation of the NSP. A review of the initial set-up and operation of NSP has just been completed. A final report is due in summer 2015.
	In addition, the Office for Fair Access will monitor and review progress made by higher education institutions (HEI's) via access agreements on an annual basis.
	Additionally, statistics on student application numbers, student record and finance for the 2012/13 academic year will be provided by Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Student Loan Company (SLC).

Students: Loans

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of (a) mathematics and (b) science graduates have had their student loans repaid by the Government while remaining teachers.

David Willetts: The information is not available in the form requested. The data collected by the Student Loans Company (SLC) can only confirm entry to the teaching profession for those teachers who have had some or all of their loans repaid as part of the Repayment Teachers Loan (RTL) scheme. It is not possible from SLC data to reflect this figure as a rate for the wider teacher population.
	As at the 31 March 2012, some 20,000 UK income contingent repayment loan (ICR) borrowers had benefited from full or partial debt repayments by the Department for Education as part of the RTL scheme. Based on returns provided to SLC that show qualifying course information, we estimate that around 46% of these beneficiaries had studied mathematics and science based courses. The Department for Education only funded the RTL scheme for borrowers normally domiciled in England.

Subway: Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether the training as a Sandwich Artist Apprenticeship offered by Subway has been classified as meeting his Department's standards for apprenticeship training;
	(2)  whether his Department contributes any funding to Subway's Sandwich Artist apprenticeships.

John Hayes: Employers choose their own terminology in setting job titles for apprentices, as for other staff. The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) learner database shows that apprentices employed by Subway stores in the Dudley area are registered on either the Customer Service or the Hospitality and Catering Apprenticeship framework. Both these are compliant with the statutory Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE).
	Subway apprentices in this area receive training from one of two apprenticeship training providers, Babcock Training Limited and Lifetime Training Group Limited. The named training providers will receive public funding for the provision of the Apprenticeships concerned. These organisations are subject to the usual Skills Funding Agency (SFA) audit requirements on the use of public funding, and to inspection by Ofsted. In addition, they have to meet the requirements of external verifiers and awarding organisations for the qualifications that form part of the apprenticeship frameworks they deliver.
	Notwithstanding these safeguards, the NAS takes any suggestion of poor quality in apprenticeships very seriously and, with the SFA, will review apprenticeships in Subway stores in the Dudley area with the employers and training providers concerned, to make absolutely certain that they meet required standards for quality and use of public funding.

Supermarkets: Competition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to introduce a Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill.

Norman Lamb: The Government is committed to introducing the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill as soon as possible. As my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House said on 15 December 2011, the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill is a strong candidate for consideration as part of the Second Session of Parliament.

Supermarkets: Competition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to include in his Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill legislative proposals to give the adjudicator the power to fine supermarkets.

Norman Lamb: The Government believes that the adjudicator's ability to investigate, make recommendations and instruct companies to publish details of any breach of the code will create a powerful deterrent to breaching the code and lead to high levels of compliance. However, the Government intends to include a reserve power to impose financial penalties in the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill. This will allow the Secretary of State to grant the adjudicator the power to impose fines if the other sanctions do not prove effective.

Supermarkets: Competition

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will establish a Groceries Adjudicator with powers to impose fines on supermarkets and to launch investigations on the basis of evidence presented by third-sector organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Government is committed to creating a Groceries Code Adjudicator. It believes that the adjudicator will be able to secure compliance with the Code without needing to fine retailers. However, it intends to include a reserve power to impose financial penalties, to be activated by order of the Secretary of State if the other sanctions do not prove effective.
	The Government has agreed to consider further the arguments for allowing third party information made by the Select Committee on Business, Innovation and Skills. It will announce the final decision on this matter at such time that the Bill is introduced into Parliament

Technology: Greater London

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 523W, on technology: Greater London, from what budgets within the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) did TSB's and UKTI's funding for Tech City come; and how much remains within each of those budgets for potential allocation to other cities.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 16 April 2012
	United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) funds the Tech City activity from its programme budget which is voted by Parliament each year. This programme budget is allocated to UKTI to support its trade development and inward investment work. Of the £26 million allocated this year by UKTI to specific inward investment events and programmes in the UK, the Tech City share from this programme budget was £1.7 million, some 6.5% of the total, with the remainder being deployed for support across the whole of the UK including the devolved Administrations, city regions, local enterprise partnerships etc.
	The Technology Strategy Board's Tech City Launchpad activity is funded from its Digital Thematic budget which forms part of the Technology Strategy Board's overall programme budget.
	The Tech City Launchpad activity has committed grant funding of £1,732,806 for digital projects seeking matched investment. The total of grants accepted so far is £200,000. Other projects to be supported by this grant have up to 31 January 2013 to find matched funding to exercise the grant.
	The Technology Strategy Board will be investigating additional technology areas and cities for other possible Launchpad activities in 2012-13.

Tobacco: Packaging

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received regarding the potential effect of plain packaging of cigarettes on independent retailers.

Mark Prisk: If the term 'representations' includes correspondence, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and myself have had some 490 letters (where tobacco advertising and packaging were used in the title) since May 2010. Some of these correspondents support the idea of plain packaging on public health grounds; others raise concerns that it would be bad for tobacco retail business. At this time the Government has no plans to develop proposals to require cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging. However, the Department of Health published a consultation document on 16 April seeking views on whether requiring cigarettes to be retailed in plain or 'standardised' packaging would add value over and above tobacco control measures already taken by the Government.
	The Government will be very interested to hear what independent retail business stakeholders tell us during this consultation so that proper account is taken of their views of their views as the Government decides whether plain packaging for cigarettes is a policy measure to be developed further.

Tobacco: Packaging

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential effect of plain packaging of cigarettes on independent retailers.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I have had some discussion on the potential effect of plain packaging of cigarettes on retailers generally with the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), in the context of deciding how we took forward the tobacco display legislation that we inherited from the last Government. However, we have not had any focused discussion on the matter since that time. The Department of Health has now published a consultation document (16 April 2012) seeking views on whether requiring cigarettes to be retailed in plain or 'standardised' packaging would add value over and above tobacco control measures already taken by the Government. The Government will be very interested to hear what retail business stakeholders tell us during this consultation so that proper account is taken of their views as the Government decides whether plain packaging for cigarettes is a policy measure to be developed further.

Trade Fairs: Jordan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department provided to companies exhibiting at SOFEX in Jordan in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) and conference is planned to take place in Amman, Jordan from 7-10 May 2012. In support of UK industrial presence UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) plans to be present on the stand sponsored by the trade association Aerospace, Defence and Security.

Traffic Commissioners: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the location of the Traffic Commissioner for Wales in Birmingham; and if he will consider relocating the post to Wales.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	The Traffic Commissioner for Wales is also the Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands and he has one office based in Birmingham. There are no proposals to relocate that office.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 104021 on management consultants tabled on 16 April 2012 for answer on 23 April 2012.

Norman Lamb: I replied to the right hon. Member on 26 April 2012, Official Report, column 1009W.

TRANSPORT

A120

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average number of vehicles using the (a) A120 and (b) A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey per day was in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate she has made of daily traffic volume in each of the next 20 years.

Michael Penning: The A120 trunk road runs between the M11 junction 8 and the Parkeston roundabout at Harwich. It is split by the A12 at Colchester between junctions 25 and 29. Current and recent traffic flows, from 2005 are set out in the following table. The data prior to 2005 is incomplete and considered unreliable.
	
		
			 Average daily A120 traffic flows 
			  Road section/link 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 A120 West         
			 Total M11 to Panners Interchange 36,866 38,709 41,257 40,910 41,526 40,820 41,142 
			 Eastbound A120 between M11 J8 and A130 (AL3904) 18,274 19,217 20,541 20,429 20,643 20,266 20,465 
			 Westbound A120 between A130 and M11 J8 (AL3905) 18,592 19,492 20,716 20,481 20,883 20,554 20,677 
			 Total Panners Interchange to Galleys Roundabout 27,886 29,099 30,337 30,617 31,006 31,157 30,640 
			 Eastbound A120 between A130 and A131 (AL3906) 13,814 14,433 15,084 15,156 15,406 15,557 15,345 
			 Westbound A120 between A131 and A130 (AL3907) 14,072 14,666 15,253 15,461 15,600 15,600 15,295 
			 Total Galleys Roundabout to Marks Farm RBT 14,072 14,666 15,253 15,461 15,600 15,600 15,295 
			 Eastbound A120 between A131 and A131 (AL3908) 12,773 13,196 13,667 13,583 13,692 13,704 13,783 
			 Westbound A120 between A131 and A131 (AL3909) 12,764 13,176 13,605 13,598 13,670 13,716 13,548 
			 Total Marks Farm RBT to A12 23,187 23,643 24,206 23,744 23,716 23,951 (1)— 
			 Eastbound A120 between A131 and A12 (AL3910A) 11,732 11,958 12,249 12,009 11,978 12,082 (1)— 
			 Westbound A120 between A12 and A131 (AL3911A) 11,455 11,685 11,957 11,735 11,738 11,869 (1)— 
			          
			 A120 East         
			 Total A12 to Crown Interchange 19,463 19,367 17,954 19,432 19,520 18,842 19,656 
			 Eastbound A120 between A12 and A1232 (AL221) 9,749 9,637 9,810 9,717 9,791 9,456 9,919 
			 Westbound A120 between A1232 and A12 (AL220) 9,714 9,730 8,144 9,715 9,729 9,386 9,737 
			 Total Crown Interchange to Hare Green 41,000 40,396 41,332 40,824 41,146 40,030 40,182 
			 Eastbound A120 between A1232 and A133 (AL214) 23,737 23,088 23,596 23,357 23,643 22,935 22,908 
			 Westbound A120 between A133 and A1232 (AL215) 17,263 17,308 17,736 17,467 17,503 17,095 17,274 
			 Total Hare Green to Harwich 11,550 11,426 11,405 11,206 10,662 9,724 8,724 
		
	
	
		
			 Eastbound A120 between A133 and A136 (AL3190) 5,664 5,580 5,593 5,499 5,032 4,648 4,283 
			 Westbound A120 between A136 and A133 (AL3189) 5,886 5,846 5,812 5,707 5,630 5,076 4,441 
			 (1) No Data 
		
	
	The Highways Agency does not have future year forecasts of daily traffic volumes along the A120 for each future year.

A120

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations her Department received from the regional development agency in support of the dualling of the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey between 2005 and 2010; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence.

Michael Penning: As part of the first round of the regional funding allocation (RFA) process, in January 2006 the Department received from the East of England regional assembly, on behalf of it and the East of England Development Agency, the document entitled “RFA—Advice to Government from the East of England” which supported the inclusion of the A120 Braintree to Marks Tey scheme in the region’s RFA programme.
	This was followed up in February 2009 with a further document setting out the East of England’s updated advice to the Government on the second RFA round which made no mention of the A120 scheme.
	Copies of both documents will be placed in the Library of the House.

A120

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of journeys along the (a) A120 and (b) A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey were made for (i) residential or commuter and (ii) businesses purposes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: Current traffic information held by the Highways Agency for the A120 trunk road does not include data relating to the type of journey undertaken and consequently the proportion of residential or commuter or journeys for business purposes is not known for the A120.

A31

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that the A31 between the Hampshire border and the Canford Bottom roundabout is cleared of litter; and if she will publish the arrangements that are in place for litter clearance.

Michael Penning: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The Highways Agency regularly monitors cleanliness of the all purpose trunk roads. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, the responsibility for litter collection on trunk roads falls with the local authority. On the A31 trunk road, between the Hampshire border and the Canford Bottom roundabout, litter is the responsibility of Dorset Waste Partnership/East Dorset District Council.
	Each week, the Agency issues local authorities with a road space report, enabling them to identify opportunities to use Agency traffic management creating a safe working environment for their litter clearance.
	Where the standards set by the Environmental Protection Act are not being met, and no contact has been received regarding sharing traffic management, the Agency will write to the relevant authority asking for appropriate action to be taken.

Addison Lee

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts her Department holds with Addison Lee.

Norman Baker: To the best of my knowledge, the Department for Transport holds no current contracts with Addison Lee.

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many applications for FlightPlus Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing she estimates the Civil Aviation Authority will process before 30 April 2012;
	(2)  how many new Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) holders with a FlightPlus ATOL she expects will be fully licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority by 30 April 2012.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) Regulations 2012 come into force on 30 April 2012. To help industry adapt to the new requirements the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has provided details of its transitional approach to enforcement during May, including for travel firms requiring an ATOL licence or Accredited Body membership for the first time. Details are available on their website:
	http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/2094/20120412ImplementationPolicy1%200.pdf
	Accordingly, the CAA anticipates that there will be two hundred new ATOL licence holders by the end of May 2012. More than one thousand further businesses are anticipated to be compliant with the 2012 ATOL regulations through membership of an Accredited Body, also by the end of May 2012.

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many organisations she expects will receive Accredited Body status under her revised Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing regulations by 30 April 2012.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority expects that at least three organisations will have Accredited Body status on 30 April 2012.

Airbus: China

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has had recent discussions with the (a) aviation industry and (b) Chinese government on the effect of planned changes to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on China's relationship with Airbus.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has had a number of discussions with the aviation industry at which the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System has been raised. We have been clear that the UK continues to support the aviation ETS in the absence of global action.
	The Government meets regularly with representatives of the Chinese Government to discuss a wide range of issues, including aviation issues.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's work programme on a global agreement to tackle aviation emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The UK Government remains fully supportive of efforts to secure a global agreement to tackle CO2 emissions from international aviation.
	We welcome the recent progress made within the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) where we have been closely involved in discussions.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012 to the hon. Member for Hertsmere, Official Report, columns 947-48W, on aviation: Hertfordshire, who requested the meeting between the Minister of State and Simon Hoare; and what response policy officials in her Department gave to Simon Hoare's proposal on Radlett strategic rail freight interchange.

Theresa Villiers: I do not have a record of who originally suggested the meeting take place.
	With regard to the e-mail of 10 November, a rail policy official provided Mr Hoare with a standard policy response on 8 December, pointing out that it would not be appropriate for Ministers or officials to comment on a specific development proposal.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in her Department have had with (i) Helioslough and (ii) representatives of Helioslough since May 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has had no meetings with Helioslough or representatives of Helioslough since May 2010.
	Neither I nor officials in the Department for Transport have had meetings with Helioslough.
	In addition to the matters referred to in my answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W, I held a meeting on 8 June 2011 with various representatives of the logistics industry, including CgMs Consulting and Helio Europe. DFT officials were present. The Radlett proposal was not discussed.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the Radlett rail freight site was discussed with Helio Europe and others on 10 June 2011;
	(2)  whether minutes were kept of the meeting between the Minister of State and Helio Europe and others on 10 June 2011;
	(3)  whether any officials were present at the Minister of State's meeting with Helio Europe and others on 10 June 2011.

Theresa Villiers: The meeting with representatives of the logistics industry, which included Helio Europe, took place on 8 June 2011. Minutes were kept of the meeting.
	The Radlett rail freight proposal was not discussed. Officials from the Department for Transport were present at the meeting.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W to the hon. Member for Hertsmere, on aviation: Hertfordshire, 
	(1)  whether the meeting between the Minister of State and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was minuted; who requested the meeting; and what aspects of the Radlett site were discussed at the meeting;
	(2)  what the outcome was of the Minister of State's meeting with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Theresa Villiers: The meeting was held at my request. It was minuted. The Radlett development was mentioned in the context of a discussion about keeping the Department for Transport informed on announcements about rail freight interchanges once decisions had been taken.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State confirmed that the Department for Transport would be notified after decisions were taken.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W to the hon. Member for Hertsmere, on aviation: Hertfordshire, what the outcome was of the Minister of State's meeting with Helio Europe and others on 10 June 2011.

Theresa Villiers: The meeting with representatives of the logistics industry, which included Helio Europe, took place on 8 June 2010. The discussion at the meeting served to inform input into the Growth Review. The Radlett proposal was not discussed.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report , columns 947-8W, on aviation: Hertfordshire, 
	(1)  on which occasions (a)  she and (b) Ministers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Helioslough, (ii) subsidiaries of Helioslough and related commercial organisations and (iii) individuals or other bodies engaged to act on behalf of Helioslough since May 2010;
	(2)  what representations her Department has received on (a) rail freight and (b) the Radlett rail freight proposal from (i) Helioslough, (ii) subsidiaries of Helioslough and related commercial organisations and (iii) individuals or other bodies engaged to act on behalf of Helioslough; and what meetings have been held between officials in her Department and such individuals or bodies since May 2010;
	(3)  what representations Ministers in her Department received on the Radlett rail freight proposal prior to the meeting between the Minister of Transport and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in the autumn of 2010.

Theresa Villiers: Since May 2010, my office has received the following emails from Community Connect Limited:
	(a) 24 May 2010—This was a general inquiry asking for the coalition Government's view on rail freight and Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges. This was passed to a rail policy official who drafted an official response on 4 June 2010.
	(b) 10 November 2011—This was the email referred to in my answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W.
	In addition to the matters referred to in my answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W, I held a meeting on 8 June 2011 with various representatives of the logistics industry, including CgMs Consulting and Helio Europe. DfT officials were present. The Radlett proposal was not discussed.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-48W, on aviation: Hertfordshire, for what reason the meetings between the Minister of Transport and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government were organised in autumn 2010 and 12 May 2011.

Theresa Villiers: The conversation with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in the autumn of 2010 was not pre-arranged, taking place at the margins of business in the House.
	The purpose of the meeting on the 12 May 2011 was to discuss general policy matters on rail freight interchanges and the planning system.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W, on Aviation: Hertfordshire, on which occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have met representatives of Community Connect Ltd since the formation of the Coalition Government.

Theresa Villiers: I refer to my answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947-8W.
	There have been no meetings between Community Connect and officials from the Department for Transport.

Aviation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, column 947W, on aviation: Hertfordshire, 
	(1)  when her Department submitted the Rule 11 statement of case to the Department for Communities and Local Government;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library the Rule 11 statement of case sent to the Department for Communities and Local Government by her Department.

Theresa Villiers: In response to invitation for comments from the Department for Communities and Local Government, officials in the Department for Transport made representations in accordance with Rule 19 of the Town and Country [Inquiry Procedures] [England] Rules 2000 on 13 October 2011 and on 11 November 2011.
	DCLG made these and all other representations available to all parties for comment under normal planning procedures. A list of the representations received about the Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Interchange planning since May 2010 will be published when the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), issues his decision on the appeal.
	The reference to the Department's representation of 13 October as a “Rule 11 statement” in my answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 947 -8W, was a typographical error.
	The reference should have been to a “Rule 19 statement”.

Biofuels

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of regulation on the biofuels industry.

Norman Baker: The effect of regulation on the biofuels industry is assessed by my Department through the production of impact assessments which present the costs, benefits and potential risks of a proposal or regulation.
	A number of biofuel related impact assessments can be found on my Department's website; including the impact assessment for the recent amendment to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation 2007 which transposes the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC).

BMI

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect on regional connectivity between Belfast city and Heathrow of IAG's takeover of bmi.

Theresa Villiers: The Government has not undertaken such an assessment but recognises that continued air connectivity within the UK is very important to people and businesses in Northern Ireland. Over 18,000 flights a year operate between Belfast’s two airports and the five main London airports, of which nearly 7,000 are between Belfast and Heathrow.

BMI

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will take steps to ensure the continuity of routes currently operated by BMI and its subsidiaries;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the future of air services currently operated by BMI and its subsidiaries.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of air services currently operated by BMI but as Aviation Minister I discussed aviation connectivity between Scottish cities and London with Scottish Transport Minister, Keith Brown, when we met in September 2011.
	We have also been engaging with the European Commission on the importance of connectivity between London and regional destinations in the UK.

Bus Services: Fares

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will seek a guarantee from Arriva North East that bus fares will not be increased in the Tees Valley during 2012 and 2013.

Norman Baker: Bus fares are not set by central Government. Local bus operators are free to set their own fares in the deregulated market. However, local transport authorities have the power to set maximum fares as part of a Quality Partnership Scheme and I suggest the hon. Member direct his suggestion to the relevant local council.
	In the recent paper Green Light for Better Buses, available in the House Library, the Government set out its plans to improve bus services through more targeted subsidy, by adopting the recent Competition Commission recommendations on regulation and ticketing to encourage competition in local bus markets, and by incentivising partnership working between bus operators and local transport authorities.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Frank Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of the closure of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Scotland on prosecutions for offences relating to vehicle registration and licensing in Scotland.

Michael Penning: DVLA has a clear commitment to ensure that enforcement activities remain fully effective. Initial assessments have shown that centralising enforcement would not lead to any degradation in service as the operational processes are largely post and telephone-based. We will work with stakeholders to fully understand the legal requirements specific to Scotland to ensure these can be met.

Driving under Influence

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposals on minimum pricing for drink-drive rehabilitation courses on the quality of course provision.

Michael Penning: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) published its consultation paper, “New Approval Arrangements for Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Courses”, on 9 November 2011. The consultation ran until 4 January 2012, and the Agency is currently assessing the responses.
	The consultation proposed that the minimum fee (currently £150) for a Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) course be abolished.
	Abolishing the minimum fee would allow providers to take into account regional price variations, to make the courses more affordable for offenders. The revised scheme will introduce improved quality assurance and compliance arrangements, to cover all aspects of course provision.

Driving under Influence

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposals on multiple provision of drink-drive rehabilitation courses in large geographical areas on the quality of course provision.

Michael Penning: On 9 November 2011, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) published a public Consultation Paper: “New Approval Arrangements for Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Courses”.
	The proposed Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) Course Syllabus was developed working closely with The Association of Drink Drive Providers of Training (ADDAPT)—the representative body for DDRS course providers.
	The consultation ran until 4 January 2012, and the Agency is currently assessing the responses.

Edinburgh Airport

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the future prospects of air services between Edinburgh and (a) Brussels, (b) Copenhagen and (c) Zurich.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State has not undertaken assessment of future air services from Edinburgh. We recognise the importance of good connectivity from regional airports but airlines operate in a commercial competitive environment and they decide which routes to operate.

Exeter-Plymouth Railway Line

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what geological surveys have been undertaken in respect of the Exeter to Plymouth railway line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 25 April 2012
	The Department does not hold geological survey information for railway routes. This is the responsibility of Network Rail as the owner and maintainer of the railway infrastructure.
	Network Rail advises that it uses the survey information provided by the British Geological Survey. Where Network Rail does construction work, it undertakes a ground investigation and provides this information to the British Geological Survey. Network Rail monitors earthworks such as cuttings and embankments, on a frequency based on the condition of the assets. With regard to the Exeter to Plymouth line, Network Rail has stabilised the cliffs adjacent to the railway at Dawlish, although this is primarily an issue of coastal erosion rather than geology.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times operational freedoms at Heathrow airport have been deployed since the end of Phase 1 of the trial.

Theresa Villiers: The measures approved specifically for use during phase one of the operational freedoms trial have not been deployed since 29 February which is when the first phase of the trial ended.
	However, these measures do share some common features with established Heathrow operating procedures (for example Tactically Enhanced Arrivals Mode) which have continued as normal during and after the trial.
	Further details on the procedures in place during phase one of the trial, and how Heathrow operates normally, can be found at the following web address:
	http://www.heathrowairport.com/noise/noise-in-your-area/operational-freedoms-trial

Heathrow Airport

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she has taken to review plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Theresa Villiers: None. The Coalition cancelled plans for a third runway at Heathrow as set out in its programme for government.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the number of people who wish to sell their homes but are unable to do so as a consequence of the High Speed 2 rail project.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 April 2012
	As of 24 April 2012, we have received 348 applications to the Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS). Of these 78 are reapplications and 65 have been accepted.
	As I set out in my announcement on 10 January 2012, we are also developing an innovative package of property compensation measures for the longer term, on which we will consult on shortly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to ensure that those affected by High Speed 2 receive compensation in a timely manner.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 April 2012
	As I set out in my statement on 10 January 2012, the Government intends to consult on a streamlined advance purchase scheme to simplify the statutory blight process for property owners.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure that (a) elderly people seeking to downsize, (b) people wishing to sell their home who are affected by changes in the property market and (c) people wishing to sell a property in a small community where a majority of the community is affected by High Speed 2 and whose property has been adversely affected by High Speed 2 receive compensation in a timely manner.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 April 2012
	The Government intends to consult shortly on the detail of a package of compensation measures for properties affected by HS2. A key part of this package is measures to streamline the statutory blight process to ensure timely payment of compensation.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on homes subject to a compulsory purchase order as a result of High Speed 2 where a change in route would mean that the property was no longer affected.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 April 2012
	As set out in the Crichel Down rules, the Government would offer any surplus land acquired through compulsory purchase back to the former owners or their successors.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the use of homes being made subject to a compulsory purchase order as a result of High Speed 2 before they are demolished.

Justine Greening: holding answer 24 April 2012
	As I set out in my statement on 10 January 2012, we will shortly consult on a blight and compensation package, including upon proposals for a sale and rent back scheme to allow home owners whose homes would be compulsorily purchased to remain in their homes until their property is needed for construction.

Legal Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on fees for legal work in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Expenditure by the Department for Transport (including its seven executive agencies(1) and HS2 Ltd(2)) on fees for legal work in the financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12 is as follows.
	
		
			  Financial year (£) 
			  2010-2011 2011-2012 (3) 
			 Legal fees paid 19,170,900 7,511,500 
			 (1) Figures for 2011-12 only cover the period to the end of February 2012 because there is a time lag of approximately one month for invoices paid by executive agencies and notified to the central Department. (2) The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Government Car and Dispatch Agency, the Driving Standards Agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Highways Agency. (3) HS2 Ltd is developing and promoting a new UK high speed rail network and is owned by the Department. 
		
	
	These figures include litigation and advisory (non-litigation) fees, but exclude the costs of the department's in-house Legal Service and the Treasury Solicitor's Department.
	In the interests of greater transparency, the department has been working on how it can better provide more comprehensive legal spend data. Therefore, these figures provide data for the whole department and are compiled on the basis of cash paid in the periods shown.

Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure no road scheme proposed by East Sussex County Council prevents the reinstatement of the Lewes to Uckfield railway.

Theresa Villiers: Whether the proposed new road in Uckfield is built with a bridge over the trackbed is a matter for the county council, and the planning process. However, the trackbed is protected from development by the planning policies of both Wealden and Lewes district councils.

London Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the basis is of ownership of take-off and landing slots at London airports;
	(2)  what recent consideration she has given to the merits of referring the matter of the operation of slot allocation at London airports to the Competition Commission.

Theresa Villiers: EU regulation governs the allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City airports. The regulation requires member states to ensure that independent airport slot co-ordinators are appointed to manage slot allocation at airports where capacity problems occur. Airport Co-ordination Ltd is the UK's independent co-ordinator. The UK Government and Civil Aviation Authority have no role in airport slot allocation processes.

Metal Theft

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has made an estimate of (a) the value of metal stolen from railways in Barnsley in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011 and (b) costs incurred by (A) Network Rail and (B) train operating companies owing to the theft of metal from railways in the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough in (1) 2010 and (2) 2011.

Norman Baker: This is a matter for Network Rail and the train operators. However, Network Rail has advised that the cost of compensation it paid to train operators on its London and North Eastern route for delays arising from incidents of metal theft was £3,534,219 in 2010/11 and £4,039,448 in 2011/12.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of untaxed cars in use in the last 12 months; and how much revenue was not collected as a result of unpaid vehicle excise duty in 2010-11.

Michael Penning: Following the last Roadside Survey of Vehicle Excise Duty evasion, national statistics were published in December 2011. These reveal the number of unlicensed vehicles in Great Britain was estimated at 249,000 vehicles. This was down from the 307,000 vehicles estimated in 2010. It was estimated that £40 million was lost through evasion in 2011. Overall, VED compliance increased from 99.1% in 2010 to 99.3% in 2011.

Motorcycles

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of motorcycle MOT tests revealed illegal modification of unrestricted motorcycles in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: Motorcycles do not fail the MOT for illegal modification of power restriction as it is not part of the MOT test.

Motorways: Speed Limits

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the cost associated with (a) increasing the motorway speed limit to 80 mph and (b) maintaining the speed limit at 70 mph on stretches of the motorway network where 80 mph is not deemed to be appropriate on the grounds of safety.

Michael Penning: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 7 March 2012, Official Report, column 762W.

Olympic Games 2012

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to discuss with train operating companies special arrangements and reduced fares for designated volunteers for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Theresa Villiers: Volunteers will be entitled to travel on public transport in London (zones 1-6) for free in order to get to their shifts during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	This will include travel between London and the venues close to London. LOCOG wilt also provide free transport for its volunteers in Weymouth and Portland and the co-host cities (within defined boundaries) of the football competition.

Peter Cruddas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had with (i) Peter Cruddas and (ii) Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010.

Norman Baker: holding answer 23 April 2012
	Ministers and Special Advisers in the department have not met with either Peter Cruddas or Sarah Southern since 12 May 2010.
	Ministerial and the Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations, are routinely published every quarter. This can be accessed via the following links:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/dft-permanent-secretary-meetings-with-external-organisations/+

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations.

Norman Baker: Responses to consultations are captured via an online system and the data output for each consultation includes the IP address used by respondents.
	We do not analyse IP addresses, although the data is passed to the division relevant to the consultation. The Driving Standards Agency also use this system and other agencies have access to it but have to date not used it.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she conducted an environmental impact assessment on the sea shipment of radioactive heat exchangers from the decommissioned Magnox nuclear plant at Berkeley from Avonmouth port in Gloucestershire to Studsvik Nuclear AB at Nykoping in Sweden.

Michael Penning: The movement of the heat exchangers by sea was carried out in accordance with the appropriate international regulations—primarily the provisions of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
	In this instance, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) conducted a survey and assessment to confirm the correct classification of the heat exchangers as low level surface contaminated objects in order to ensure the correct provisions of the IMDG Code were applied.
	As a result of the classification an environmental impact assessment was not undertaken as it would not be required under the IMDG Code.

Railways: East of England

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding from the public purse was spent on the Great Eastern Main Line in each of the last 10 years.

Theresa Villiers: The Office of Rail Regulation publishes, as part of its National Rail Trends data, a summary of Government support for the rail industry, which includes the subsidy/premium payment for each train operator on an annual basis:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/nrt-government-support.pdf
	Details of monthly payments to train operators are set out in the Transparency section of the Department's website, under ‘Department monthly spend over £500 in value’:
	www.dft.gov.uk/publications/dft-monthly-spending/
	This shows net payments to train operators in each four-week period. It should be noted that no figure is shown if any payments by the train operator to the Department exceeded any subsidy paid by the Department to the train operator.

Railways: East of England

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what surplus was generated by the train operating company running the Greater Anglia franchise in each of the last 10 years; and what her estimate is of the amount that will be generated in each of the next five years.

Norman Baker: Details of subsidy and premium payments in respect of all Train Operating Companies are published annually by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. This is available on the ORR's website at
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk
	Future premium payments for the Greater Anglia (short) franchise have been published on the Department's website at
	www.dft.gov.uk
	It would not be in the public interest to provide estimates of premium payments beyond the life of the current franchise as to do so would impact on the Department's ability to secure value for money bids.

Railways: East of England

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail journeys were made on Greater Anglia franchise services in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate she has made of the number of rail journeys that will be made on the Greater Anglia franchise in each of the next 20 years.

Theresa Villiers: The number of rail passenger journeys made on Greater Anglia franchise services in each financial year since 2004-05 (the earliest year for which data are available) are as follows:
	
		
			 Greater Anglia passenger journeys 2004-05 to 2010-11 
			  Number (million) 
			 2004-05 108.6 
			 2005-06 99.9 
			 2006-07 106.0 
			 2007-08 111.9 
			 2008-09 112.8 
			 2009-10 107.0 
			 2010-11 115.0 
			 Source: Office of Rail Regulation 
		
	
	The Department has not made any forecasts for the next 20 years for Greater Anglia franchise services. The Department is in the process of developing its High Level Output Specification in which some demand forecasts will be published. However these are unlikely to be at a franchise specific level.

Railways: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Prime Minister's support for rail electrification in South Wales during his visit to Wales on 5 April 2012, on what date she expects to make an announcement on her plans for rail electrification; and what geographical areas that announcement will cover.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport is in ongoing discussions with Welsh Ministers regarding the proposed electrification of rail lines in South Wales. If electrification is funded through the High Level Output Specification for the railway, an announcement is expected by July 2012.

Railways: Tickets

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance she has given to the Rail Fares and Ticketing Review on the closure of ticket offices.

Theresa Villiers: We have set out our current position on ticket office opening hours in our consultation on the Rail Fares and Ticketing Review, which can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-09/

Railways: Tickets

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train operating companies have been given permission by her Department to close ticket offices in the latest period for which figures are available; and in respect of which stations such permission has been given.

Norman Baker: Since May 2010, no train operating companies have been given permission to close ticket offices.
	Ministers in the last Administration approved reductions in ticket office opening hours under the Minor and Major Change procedures at approximately 300 stations between May 2005 and May 2010.

Railways: Tickets

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent communications have taken place between her Department and London Midland on the closure of station ticket offices; and on what dates such communications took place.

Norman Baker: Ministers at the Department for Transport have not had any communications with London Midland to discuss this matter.
	Departmental officials have met and had correspondence with London Midland on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues, including LM's proposal to reduce the opening hours of some ticket offices.
	In addition to these meetings, DFT officials work closely with each train operator on a wide range of issues relating to the rail network. The frequency of communications can vary, and can be as often as every day when there are significant operational matters to discuss. The DFT does not maintain a record of each issue that is discussed on every occasion.

Railways: Tickets

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether decisions on the closure of station ticket offices are taken by her Department or by train operating companies.

Norman Baker: It is for Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to decide whether or not to propose a closure of a station ticket office. If the TOC does decide to progress a proposed closure then they must consult with the appropriate stakeholders, including Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch (if appropriate), other train operators, the Association of Train Operating Companies, and any affected Passenger Transport Executives. If the proposal is agreed by all the consultees then the Secretary of State (SOS) has no role in the process.
	However if following the consultation the TOC is unable to agree the proposal with Passenger Focus or London TravelWatch, then the TOC must refer the matter to the SOS for arbitration if it wishes to proceed with the closure.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff of her Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many of such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: In 2010/11, 446 staff retired from the Department for Transport, including its Executive Agencies, 183 of whom retired before their normal pension age. In 2011/12, 262 staff retired, 40 of whom retired early.
	143 of the early retirements in 2010-11 were as a result of Voluntary Early Exit schemes being run across the Department under the previous Civil Service Compensation Scheme which allowed for voluntary early retirement terms.
	Changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in December 2010 removed the ability for staff to take voluntary early retirement and therefore there were no voluntary early retirements in 2011/12.

Roads: Accidents

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the role of the Health and Safety Executive in reducing accidents by people who drive as part of their employment.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has had no such discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith).

Roads: Accidents

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries there were on roads in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Reported fatalities and serious injuries in road accidents in the London borough of Bexley, 2006-10 
			 Number 
			 Casualty severity 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Killed 6 6 0 5 2 
			 Serious injuries 97 99 73 77 66 
		
	
	The data for 2011 will be published at end of June 2012.

Roads: Accidents

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on how many road traffic accidents were reported on (a) the A2 in Bexley borough, (b) the A20 in Bexley borough, (c) Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, (d) Okehampton Crescent, Welling, (e) Gravel Hill, Bexley, (f) Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, (g) Knee Hill, Abbey Wood, (h) Park View Road, Bexleyheath, (i) Broadway, Bexleyheath, (j) Avenue Road and Pickford Lane, Bexleyheath, (k) Long Lane, Bexleyheath, (l) Colyers Lane, Erith, (m) Thames Road, Crayford, (n) North End Road, Erith and (o) Erith Road, Bexleyheath in 2011.

Michael Penning: The information requested for 2011 is not yet available. The first road safety statistics for 2011 are due to be published at end of June 2012.

Roads: EU Grants and Loans

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what EU funding programmes are available to support spending on UK road infrastructure.

Michael Penning: The Trans European Network—Transport (TEN-T) programme supports the development of infrastructure for all modes of transport. Some regions of the UK can also use European regional development funding from the structural funding programme to develop transport infrastructure, including roads.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to respond to the conclusions of the legal working group on application of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 to seafarers working on non-UK registered vessels travelling between UK ports; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Michael Penning: A legal working group has now concluded its consideration of the application of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 to seafarers working on non-UK registered vessels travelling between UK ports. The Minister of Employment Relations, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), will be responding to the conclusions of the working group in the near future.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to convene a working group to assess the monitoring and enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011. [R]

Michael Penning: A review of the operation and effect of the regulations will be undertaken after five years in the usual way. To inform that review, I intend to convene a working group next year. I envisage the working group looking at the impact and the enforcement of the regulations in particular and it is possible that it could look into ways in which awareness of the regulations could be developed.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 912W, on shipping: EU law, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 will prevent social dumping in the (a) shipping and (b) offshore industries; and if she will place in the Library a copy of any such assessment. [R]

Michael Penning: The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 addresses fair competition and should hinder social dumping through the creation of a level playing field across the international shipping industry.
	The convention provides that ships of non-ratifying countries should have “no more favourable treatment” in the ports of ratifying countries. The impact assessments which we have prepared in support of the proposed UK regulations to implement the MLC, which will be published as part of the consultation package on implementing legislation, will include the impact of applying the convention's provisions to ships of non-ratifying flags.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 912W, on shipping: EU law, whether the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 applies to all seafarers working on vessels in UK territorial waters, irrespective of (a) seafarer nationality and (b) flag of state. [R]

Michael Penning: The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 will provide comprehensive rights and protection at work for all seafarers regardless of their nationality and the flag of their ship when working on ships to which the MLC applies, as defined in article II of the convention.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 876W, on shipping: treaties, what legal advice she has received on the Maritime Labour Convention 2006; and if she will place in the Library a copy of any such advice. [R]

Michael Penning: As a matter of general policy, and in keeping with the approach taken by other public bodies, the Department does not disclose any legal advice it may receive, and does not disclose whether any such advice has been sought or obtained in any particular case.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 876W, on shipping: treaties, what the requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 that the UK is already compliant with are; what recent meetings she has had with (a) the shipping industry and (b) trade unions at which UK compliance was discussed; how many such meetings there have been since May 2010; and on what dates any such discussions have taken place. [R]

Michael Penning: There are a number of areas in which the UK is already fully compliant with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006; these include Titles 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 2.7 and 4.5. In addition, current legislation already complies with a number of provisions within the other Titles. Where amendments to existing legislation or new provisions are required, the Government will consult. A first package of such measures will be issued for public consultation shortly.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency continues to chair meetings of a tripartite working group to keep the shipping industry and trade unions informed of progress with UK implementation of the MLC and to address any concerns expressed by stakeholders. Since May 2010, the working group has met on nine occasions as follows: May 2010, July 2010, September 2010, November 2010, January 2011, April 2011, June 2011, November 2011 and March 2012.

Taxis

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if her Department will review and terminate any contracts with any private hire company whose drivers have been instructed to breach road traffic regulations.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has no current contracts with private hire companies. However, in the event that any such contracts were placed, the Department's contracts include a range of provisions for their termination. If officials had evidence that a private hire company under contract to the Department was instructing its drivers to break the law in any way, officials would take whatever action was appropriate under the terms of the contract, including termination if necessary.

Transport

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the level of transport spending in each English region for each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The requested information can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts for 2010-11, Table 6 (page 44)
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc09/0972/0972.pdf

Transport: Standards

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to encourage transport authorities to consult on the introduction of voluntary partnerships or quality contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Local transport authorities have a statutory duty to consult on Quality Contract Schemes should they wish to introduce them. The Department has issued guidance which sets out its expectation that prior to the statutory notice and consultation stage, local transport authorities will discuss their proposals with local bus operators, passenger groups and other interested parties. There is no statutory duty to consult on voluntary partnership schemes, but the Department would expect a similar approach to be adopted.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited longer than four hours for treatment in accident and emergency units since January 2012.

Simon Burns: Data from the Accident and Emergency Clinical Quality Indicators, which include an indicator that specifically measures time to treatment, have not yet been published for January 2012 onwards.
	Data for January 2012 will be published on 25 May 2012.

Alcoholic Drinks

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of trends in alcohol consumption over the last 10 years.

Anne Milton: We expect to set out shortly our assessment of trends in alcohol consumption and harm over the last 10 years as part of written evidence to the Health Committee's inquiry on the Government's Alcohol Strategy.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Royal College of Surgeons' conclusions and recommendations on the role of dental teams in identifying and treating alcohol misuse; and if he will incorporate this advice as part of his strategy to tackle alcohol abuse.

Simon Burns: We will consider the recommendations made by the Royal College of Surgeons for further work in relation to the benefits of introducing alcohol screening and brief interventions in a primary dental care setting. As the report notes, the Government intends to strengthen the approach to prevention in the planned new dental contract. Under the pilot care pathway, all patients receive an oral health assessment that screens for risk factors including alcohol consumption. Where patients report that they consume alcohol beyond the safe limits they receive targeted advice including, if required, signposting to appropriate specialist services.

Antidepressants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, columns 413-4W, on anti-depressants, for what reason the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants increased between 2009 and 2011; and how many prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs were issued in each region in each year between 2004 and 2008.

Simon Burns: Information is only available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England. The following table shows the number of prescription items dispensed for drugs classified as anti-depressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 for the period 2004 to 2008.
	
		
			  Number of prescription items (thousand) 
			 2004 28,996 
			 2005 29,390 
			 2006 31,038 
			 2007 33,840 
			 2008 35,961 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system 
		
	
	We are unable to provide a conclusive account for the increase in the number of prescription items dispensed.

Autism

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to publish quality standards for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Paul Burstow: We have asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a Quality Standard on autism in children, young people and adults, as part of a library of approximately 170 NHS Quality Standards. NICE has not yet published a time scale for the development of this Quality Standard.

Autism

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific guidance and support he expects clinical commissioning consortia should receive to ensure that they commission an appropriate range of services for people with autism.

Paul Burstow: Once it is established, it will be for the NHS Commissioning Board (the Board) to issue commissioning guidance to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The Department will hold the board to account through the Mandate to the Board, which will include the indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework, NHS Outcomes Framework indicators include measurements on long term conditions.
	Quality Standards will be positioned at the centre of the new commissioning architecture: the provisions in the Health and Social Care Bill will make Quality Standards an integral part of the proposed new duties of quality that will apply to the board and CCGs. This means that, in the future, Quality Standards will be used to judge the performance both locally and nationally of the national health service. This will help to embed the needs of adults with autism into the health and social care system as never before.

Aviation

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many air miles have been accrued from travel by each Minister in his Department since 2010; how many were (a) forgone and (b) donated to each charity; and whether air miles accrued by officials in this period were required to be (i) forgone and (ii) given to charity.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. According to the latest statement received by our travel provider at the end of February, the Department as a whole, (all Ministers and officials travelling on departmental business), had over 53,000 air miles available. Air miles and any other benefits accrued through travel paid for from public funds are used for official purposes or else foregone, in line with the Ministerial Code.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to support women resident in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency who have received faulty PIP breast implants.

Simon Burns: Women in Birmingham, Ladywood who received PIP implants as a result of national health service treatment are eligible—as are women throughout England—for a consultation, imaging if appropriate, and removal and replacement of the implants if, informed by an assessment of clinical need, risk or the impact of unresolved concerns, a woman with her doctor decides that it is right to do so. If the woman received the implants from a private provider which has gone out of business or is unwilling to meet its moral and legal obligations to help, the NHS will remove but not normally replace the implants. Details are given in a letter from the NHS Chief Executive, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/01/pip-breast-implants-letters-to-professionals/

Cancer

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will issue guidance on the functions, funding and accountability of cancer networks;
	(2)  whether cancer networks will be established as strategic clinical networks;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on cancer networks in the last three years for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: We have made it clear that there is a role for clinical networks, such as cancer networks, in the reformed national health service. The networks are a place where clinicians from different sectors come together to improve the quality of care across integrated pathways.
	The cancer networks are a clear example of how this way of working delivers better quality care and we are continuing to fund the networks in 2012-13. From April 2013, the funding of the networks will be a decision for the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB). The NHS CB will also set levels of accountability.
	A review of clinical networks, is currently underway, to consider, the functions, structures and governance that will mostly effectively support commissioners to deliver improved quality and outcomes in the future.
	Information on the funding of cancer networks is not held centrally. Funding to support cancer networks is mainly provided through what is called the Strategic Health Authority bundle. In addition to funding from the bundle, networks receive funding from other sources, such as their constituent primary care trust or from one or more of their provider trusts.

Cardiovascular System

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Cardiovascular Outcomes Strategy will provide for implementation of the 2008 NICE guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia in respect of family screening.

Simon Burns: Familial hypercholesterolemia will be one of the issues considered during the development of the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy.
	Clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) represent best practice and the Government expects commissioners to take them fully into account in their decision-making. In view of their complexity and because of the different states of readiness for implementation in the national health service, NICE clinical guidelines are not subject to the same statutory funding direction as NICE'S technology appraisals.

Cardiovascular System

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in its Cardiovascular Outcomes Strategy; when he expects the strategy to be published; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which organisations and individuals (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have met as part of the development of the Cardiovascular Outcomes Strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how the Cardiovascular Outcomes Strategy fits into the proposed NHS Outcomes Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The development of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes strategy is in its early stages, so a date has not yet been set for publication.
	Following a national engagement event in May, a series of engagement events will be held around the country this year. In addition, there will be other opportunities for organisations and individuals with an interest to feed in their views during the production of the strategy.
	The CVD outcomes strategy will provide a joined up approach, across the national health service, public health and social care, to secure the delivery of improvements in CVD related outcomes as set out in the NHS Outcomes Framework, the Public Health Outcomes Framework and the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework.

Care Homes

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that primary care trusts consult independent nursing homes when making changes to their payment terms for funded nursing care payments;
	(2)  whether he has recently had discussions with Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) about changes to its payment terms for funded nursing care payments; and whether he has made an assessment of the subsequent effects on cash-flow for independent nursing homes receiving payments from Buckinghamshire PCT.

Paul Burstow: The annual level of the national health service contribution towards the cost of a place in a care home with nursing for those people assessed as requiring the help of a registered nurse is set at a national level. Once the need for NHS Funded Nursing Care is determined, primary care trusts (PCTs) have a responsibility to pay a flat rate contribution towards registered nursing care costs.
	The Department would not hold discussions with individual primary care trusts about the level of the NHS Funded Nursing Care contribution or local arrangements for administering such payments.
	Eligibility for NHS Funded Nursing care may be considered when an individual is not eligible for NHS continuing health care and where it is considered that a place in a nursing home is the best option for meeting their needs.
	NHS continuing health care is a package of health and social care funded by the NHS where the individual is assessed as having a primary health need. NHS continuing health care can be provided in a range of settings including care homes.

Care Homes

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of people in (a) England and (b) each local authority who sold their homes to pay for residential care in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: None. Information about the sale of property to pay for residential care by service users supported by councils is not collected centrally. Local councils may also not know if properties are sold by those who arrange their own care, for example, where a person sells a property and contracts with a care provider privately without the involvement of social services.

Cholesterol

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of treating the effects of high cholesterol levels in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Raised cholesterol levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and are modifiable in some people. Awareness raising, prevention, early detection and management of modifiable risk factors will be considered as part of the development of the forthcoming cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy.

Commission on the Funding of Care and Support

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Dilnot report.

Paul Burstow: We will publish a White Paper on social care and a progress report on funding reform in spring 2012. The progress report will set out the Government’s response to the Commission’s recommendations.

Community Hospitals

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on community hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government are committed to helping the national health service work better by extending good practice on improving discharge from acute hospitals and increasing access to care and treatment in the community. Community hospitals can be an important part of delivering this, especially in rural communities, providing both planned and unplanned care and diagnostic services closer to home.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 devolves more power to local communities where the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils are best placed to determine improvements to their local NHS. Responsibility for commissioning services will be devolved to local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which will mean that the design of patient pathways and local services is always clinically-led and based on more effective dialogue and partnership with hospital specialists. Any changes to services must have support from CCGs, patients and the public, be based on sound clinical evidence and support patient choice.

Computers

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many computers and related equipment have been purchased by his Department and its public bodies since May 2010; and what the (a) makes and (b) costs were.

Simon Burns: The Department has purchased through its information technology (IT) provider 402 items of computers and related equipment made by Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Apple, where computers and related equipment are considered to include desktop PCs, laptops and tablets PC and 1,157 Hewlett Packard monitors, in financial year 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	In addition to this, during the period much of the departmental desktop infrastructure reached the end of its service life and was replaced as part of a planned technology refresh by 3,187 Wyse Thin Client devices. This refresh has improved performance while reducing support costs and carbon emissions.
	The total cost of these items was £1,021,680.
	The number of computers and related equipment purchased by public bodies is not held centrally and to provide this information for the Department's public bodies would incur disproportionate costs.
	General XT expenditure is contained within each public body's annual accounts, which can be accessed via the public bodies websites listed as follows. The Health Research Authority and NHS Commissioning Board Authority, as recently established bodies, do not yet have any published accounts.
	Alcohol Education and Research Council
	www.alcoholresearchuk.org
	Appointments Commission
	www.appointments.org.uk
	Care Quality Commission
	www.cqc.org.uk
	Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
	www.chre.org.uk
	General Social Care Council
	www.gscc.org.uk
	Health and Social Care Information Centre
	www.ic.nhs.uk
	Health Protection Agency
	www.hpa.org.uk
	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
	www.hfea.gov.uk
	Human Tissue Authority
	www.hta.gov.uk
	Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts (Monitor)
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk
	Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
	www.mhra.gov.uk
	National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
	www.nice.org.uk
	National Patient Safety Agency
	www.npsa.nhs.uk
	National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
	www.nta.nhs.uk
	NHS Blood and Transplant
	www.nhsbt.nhs.uk
	NHS Business Services Authority
	www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk
	NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
	www.institute.nhs.uk
	NHS Litigation Authority
	www.nhsla.com

Congenital Abnormalities

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many live births occurred of infants with (a) spina bifida, (b) hydrocephalus and (c) other neural tube defects in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: These data are not held centrally by the Department, but are collected and published by the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR).
	The following information gives the numbers of live born babies with neural tube disorders and hydrocephalus in the English registers for 2001-10.
	These data are for the following five English regional congenital anomaly registers:
	Berkshire and Buckinghamshire (CAROBB);
	East Midlands and South Yorkshire (EMSYCAR);
	Northern region (NorCAS);
	South West region (SWCAR), and
	Wessex (WANDA).
	They cover 32% of the births in England. All registers except SWCAR provided data for all years; SWCAR have provided data for 2005-10.
	There are two other registers in England that have not yet provided data to BINOCAR but are developing the processes to be able to shortly. The registers therefore cover 49% of the births in England but BINOCAR currently only has data for 32% of births.
	
		
			 Spina bifida 
			 Anomaly  Number of cases (live births) 
			 Spina Bifida 2001 11 
			  2002 19 
			  2003 18 
			  2004 21 
			  2005 22 
			  2006 26 
			  2007 24 
			  2008 34 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 34 
			  2010 40 
		
	
	
		
			 Hydrocephalus 
			 Anomaly  Number of cases (Live births) 
			 Hydrocephalus 2001 35 
			  2002 39 
			  2003 23 
			  2004 27 
			  2005 50 
			  2006 69 
			  2007 65 
			  2008 72 
			  2009 61 
			  2010 70 
		
	
	
		
			 Other neural tube defects 
			 Anomaly  Number of cases (Live births) 
			 Anencephalus and similar 2001 (1)— 
			  2002 (1)— 
			  2003 (1)— 
			  2004 (1)— 
			  2005 7 
			  2006 7 
			  2007 8 
			  2008 10 
			  2009 6 
			  2010 (1)— 
			    
			 Encephalocele 2001 (1)— 
			  2002 (1)— 
			  2003 5 
			  2004 7 
			  2005 (1)— 
			  2006 (1)— 
			  2007 5 
			  2008 (1)— 
			  2009 7 
			  2010 6 
			 (1) Numbers have been suppressed where there were less than five cases recorded

Consultants

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many management consultants were employed by his Department and its agencies in (a) the most recent period for which figures are available and (b) each of the last two years; and what the total cost to his Department has been.

Simon Burns: The core Department, Connecting for Health and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), do not employ management consultants. They contract for the delivery of consultancy services from companies and do not keep central records of the number of management consultants used by those companies to deliver the services for each contract.
	The Department does not keep central records on ‘management consultancy’ expenditure in the specific form requested. The total expenditure on all consultancy services by the core Department, Connecting for Health and the MHRA for financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 are set out in the following table; validated full year expenditure on consultancy services for 2011-12 is not yet available. The figures are based on the definition of consultancy services provided by the Government Procurement Service (formerly the Office of Government Commerce).
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 Core Department 108.3 million 9.8 million 
			 Connecting For Health 6.3 million 5.0 million 
			 MHRA 264,755 14,400

Dental Services: X-rays

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he had with Ministers in the Home Department on the UK Border Agency’s trial of dental X-rays for age assessment purposes prior to the commencement of that trial on 29 March 2012;
	(2)  whether he has raised concerns with Ministers in the Home Department about the UK Border Agency’s trial of dental X-rays for age assessment purposes;
	(3)  what representations his Department has received about the UK Border Agency’s trial of dental X-rays for age assessment purposes;
	(4)  whether his Department gave approval for the age assessments dental X-ray pilot.

Anne Milton: The Department of Health’s approval was not formally sought for this study.
	Concerns about the trial were raised by the chief medical officer on behalf of the Department of Health. As currently presented, the study would be deemed to be a research trial, falls within the research governance framework and does require approval from an ethics committee of the National Research Ethics Service.
	Department of Health officials have had discussions with Department for Education and UK Border Agency officials about the proposed trial. We have also received representations from a number of organisations.

Diabetes

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to improve education and health checks in schools on the risks associated with both types of diabetes.

Paul Burstow: The Department has worked in partnership with school nurses, professional bodies and young people as part of the School Nursing Development Programme. We have developed a new vision and model for the profession covering many elements of health and wellbeing for children and young people aged. 5-19. The report and call to action from this programme, “Getting it right for children, young people and families” was published in March 2012. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_133011
	This will assist in the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme and will help local areas to shape their school nursing services.
	The Department has also this year introduced a Best Practice Tariff (BPT) for Paediatric Diabetes. The BPT sets out a number of criteria that diabetes services must fulfil in treating and caring for children and young people with diabetes in order to receive a payment. One of the criteria is for additional visits to be made to the child by a diabetes specialist nurse or dietitian during a year, which may include school visits.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 1106W, on epilepsy: health services, what information (a) his Department and (b) the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence holds on compliance with the recommendation that a review by an epilepsy specialist should take place within two weeks of presentation.

Paul Burstow: This information is not collected.
	To support implementation of its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of the epilepsies in adults and children in primary and secondary care, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance and tools to determine the level of service need that might be needed locally. This includes a baseline assessment tool that can be used by organisations to identify if they are in line with practice recommended in NICE guidance and to help them plan activity that will help them meet the recommendations.

General Practitioners

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure GPs communicate the changes to health and social care to NHS patients.

Simon Burns: Communicating the changes to health and social care to national health service patients is not the responsibility of general practitioners (GPs). This is part of the role of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts and, going forward, the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).
	We are working with emerging CCGs to put in place development opportunities and support for those individual GPs (and other health care professionals) who are coming forward to take on leadership roles.
	We are also working with stakeholder organisations to understand what support member practices would like as they develop their CCG—including sharing best practice, and providing support material.

General Practitioners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are made on whether an applicant to register with a GP is entitled to NHS care.

Simon Burns: Applications to general practitioners to join their lists of national health service patients are at the discretion of individual practices. Many practices request proof of identity and confirmation of address when considering applications.

Health and Social Care Bill 2010-12

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons he has not published his Department's risk assessment in relation to the Health and Social Care Bill.

Simon Burns: No government of any persuasion has routinely made risk registers of this type public for the very reason that to do so would undermine open and frank discussion among policy makers. It has been our firm view, and those of other Departments, that for risk registers of this type to fulfil their function, civil servants must be free to “think the unthinkable” and record potential risks and mitigations fully, frankly and with absolute candour, confident in the knowledge that this information will not be publicly disclosed. These arguments were put to the Information Tribunal in this matter and the Department is now considering its response to the tribunal's reasoned decision.

Health Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) applications were made and (b) posts were available for (i) acute medicine, (ii) obstetrics and gynaecology, (iii) general surgery and (iv) anaesthesia in each year since 2002.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold comparable data prior to 2010 when a significant amount of specialty recruitment was locally co-ordinated and delivered. Data from 2010 onwards are presented as follows. It should be noted that the number of applications exceeds the number of applicants.
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 
			  Posts Applications Ratio Posts Applications Ratio Posts Applications Ratio 
			 Acute Medicine (ST3) 65 351 5.4 100 351 3.5 72 247 3.4 
			 Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) (ST1) 249 1,252 5.03 226 597 2.6 211 607 2.9 
			 General Surgery (ST3) 110 3,968 36.07 97 548 5.6 119 555 4.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Anaesthesia (ST3) 336 875 2.60 317 1118 3.5 277 595 2.1 
			 Notes: 1. Acute Medicine, General Surgery and Anaesthesia are uncoupled specialties so competition ratio is for recruitment at the ST3 level. 2. O&G is a run-through speciality and therefore ST1 entry data have been provided. 3. General Surgery became a nationally recruited and co-ordinated specialty in 2011 hence the difference in applications between 2010 and 2011. 4. To note number of application to General Surgery 2010 is not comparable with data from 2011 and 2012 due to it being locally co-ordinated that year thus making competition ratio higher.

Hospitals: Accidents

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of falls at (a) the West Cumberland hospital and (b) the Cumberland infirmary in September and October (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of falls.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information on the number of falls at specific hospital sites. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) holds data on falls reported by the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust. The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of falls reported by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust in September and October 2010 and 2011 and the annual total of reported falls 
			  September October Total falls reported per year 
			 2010 71 80 1,058 
			 2011 84 84 1,067 
			 Note: An increase in incidents reported does not necessarily mean an increase in the number of incidents occurring. NPSA encourages NHS trusts to report patient safety incidents to enhance learning and embed a patient safety culture. The NPSA regularly sees an increase in incidents reported year on year, which is actually a sign of a culture that is growing in awareness of patient safety. Source: NPSA. 
		
	
	A number of guidance documents designed to reduce the risk of harm from falls in the NHS have been produced by the NPSA, or as part of the NPSA’s Patient Safety First initiative, including:
	‘slips, trips and falls in hospital’;
	‘How to’ guide for reducing harm from falls’
	‘Using bedrails safely and effectively in hospitals/mental health units’;
	‘How to’ guide for reducing harm from falls in mental health in-patient settings’; and
	‘Essential care after an in-patient fall’.
	These documents have been placed in the Library.
	The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop a quality standard on falls in a care setting, as part of a library of approximately 170 NHS quality standards.
	In addition, we are encouraging use of the ‘NHS Safety Thermometer’ which records patients who suffer four common ‘harms’ in health care, including harm from a fall.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department conducted an equality impact assessment on the introduction of the Gardasil form of the human papillomavirus vaccination (HPV) for the HPV programme; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: An equality impact assessment was completed in 2008 for the introduction of the national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme. The Department announced in November 2011 that, following a competitive tendering exercise, Gardasil will be the vaccine used in the national HPV vaccination programme from September 2012. In taking this decision, the Department considered the public sector equality duty but did not produce a new equality impact assessment as no changes to service delivery are anticipated.

Information and Communications Technology

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on IT projects within the Department of Health and its agencies in the last two years.

Simon Burns: The following table sets out expenditure in the Department, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and NHS Connecting for Health on IT projects. NHS Connecting for Health spent £178,000 on additional resources which included transport and movers as part of the Data Centre Migration.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Department of Health 4,317,785 4,954,683 3,328,790 1,285,144 
			 MHRA 4,705,686 2,513,089 4,723,977 2,033,671 
			 NHS Connecting for Health (1)n/a (1)234,000 1,221,317 526,156 
			 (1) Further expenditure exists but could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Information and Communications Technology

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any requests have been made to his Department's IT department from (a) officials and (b) special advisers working within his Department for information about the process of erasing data from (i) computer hard drives and (ii) other forms of storage devices in the last two years.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data on requests for information on this process. Guidance on the safe destruction of such devices and the information on them is available to all staff on the Department's intranet.

Information Officers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the five most senior media advisers and press officers in his Department; what their job titles are; and what the salary is of each individual.

Simon Burns: Defined as the five most senior members of staff with responsibility for media relations, and excluding other officials with roles in associated disciplines such as public health marketing and NHS communications, the relevant members of staff are as follows:
	
		
			 Name Job title Salary band 
			 Sam Lister Director of Communications SCS2: £115,000 - £119,999 
			 Tim Jones Head of News SCSI: £80,000 - £84,999 
			 Paul Stephenson Media Special Adviser The salary ranges of special advisers are published routinely by the Cabinet Office. The most recent such publication, dating from April is available at the Cabinet Office website: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/LIST-APRIL.pdf 
			 Grade 6(1) Deputy Head of News G6: £60,575 - £75,035 
			 Grade 6(1) Deputy Head of News G6: £60,575 - £75,035 
			 (1)It is the Departments policy that staff at grades below senior civil service are not named.

Manpower

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) agency staff, (b) contractors and (c) consultants were employed by his Department (i) in each pay band and (ii) for each length of contract in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: As at 31 March 2012, the Department employed a total of 353.1 full-time equivalent agency staff, contractors and consultants—a reduction of 654.5 (65%) on the number employed at 31 March 2010.
	The following table shows this figure broken down by agency workers and specialist contractor/consultants employed by the Department on 31 March 2012.
	
		
			 Department of Health, 31 March 2012 
			  Number 
			 Agency Workers 217.0 
			 Specialist Contractor/Consultant 136.1 
			 Total 353.1 
		
	
	The following table shows information requested for Connecting for Health (a part of the Department's Informatics Directorate) on 25 April 2012.
	
		
			 Pay band (NHS agenda for change) Type of employees Length of contract (months) 
			 3 1 x Agency Staff 3 
			 4 1 x Agency Staff 9 
			 4 1 x Agency Staff 11 
			 5 2 x Agency Staff 2 x 12 
			 5 1 x Agency Staff 8 
			 6 1 x Agency Staff 9 
			 7 4 x Contractors 4 x 13 
			 7 1 x Contractors 14 
			 8A 4 x Agency Staff 4 x 2 
			 8A 1 x Agency Staff 5 
			 8A 1 x Agency Staff 3 
			 8A 1 x Contractors 3 
			 8A 12 x Contractors 12 x 12 
			 8A 1 x Contractors 17 
			 8A 2 x Contractors 2 x 18 
			 8A 1 x Contractors 10 
		
	
	
		
			 8A 1 x Contractors 13 
			 8A 1 x Contractors 9 
			 8A 1 x Contractors 11 
			 8B 5 x Contractors 5 x 12 
			 8B 1 x Contractors 6 
			 8B 1 x Contractors 9 
			 8B/8C 1 x Contractors 17 
			 8B/8C 2 x Contractors 2 x 11 
			 8C 1 x Contractors 9 
			 8C 4 x Contractors 4 x 18 
			 8C 2 x Contractors 2 x 17 
			 8C 1 x Contractors 8 
			 8C 8 x Contractors 8 x 10 
			 8C 1 x Contractors 27 
			 8C 1 x Contractors 12 
			 8C 2 x Contractors 2 x 6 
			 8C/8D 2 x Contractors 2 x 17 
			 8D 3 x Contractors 3 x 28 
			 8D 2 x Contractors 2 x 16 
			 8D 3 x Contractors 3 x 10 
			 8D 3 x Contractors 3 x 17 
			 8D 2 x Contractors 2 x 3 
			 8D 1 x Contractors 11 
			 8D 1 x Contractors 5 
			 8D 1 x Contractors 8 
			 9 1 x Contractors 10 
			 9 1 x Contractors 9 
		
	
	The Department has provided staffing figures as at 31 March 2012. Data on the equivalent pay band and each length of contract are managed by each individual business unit and is not routinely maintained centrally. Obtaining this data centrally would incur disproportionate costs and would require new functionality to be developed on the Department's information systems. Agency workers are typically individuals with admin/clerical skills up to the pay band of SEO equivalent, whereas specialist contractors/consultants are considered to be higher skilled workers and likely to be more senior.
	To support the achievement of the Government efficiency savings targets, the Department has introduced a number of controls to stop or limit expenditure on contingent labour. A business case is required for any professional services procurement and each case is considered for operational necessity, ensuring the requirement is specifically linked to the delivery of a ministerial priority. The business case is only approved if the case for operational necessity has been proven. These internal approval processes have made a substantial impact on reducing departmental expenditure on non-permanent workers.

Medical Records

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital trusts send confidential patient records abroad for processing.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally.
	National health service trusts are individually responsible for compliance with data protection legislation in respect of the processing of patient information. This legislation requires trusts to ensure that they only authorise the processing of personal data in countries where there is an adequate level of protection for the data and for the rights and freedoms of individuals. Trusts are also required by data protection legislation, when utilising data processors either at home or abroad, to. ensure that the data processor is bound by a contract to meet appropriate standards of confidentiality and security and not to process the data in ways that have hot been authorised by the trust.

Mental Health: Males

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of programmes providing support for men with mental health problems between the ages of 21 and 27 years old in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is not possible to disaggregate spend on mental illness by either sex or age from the statutory accounting collected by the Department.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenses were claimed by (a) paid and (b) unpaid special advisers working in his Department in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: According to the Department's business management system a total of £128.00 was claimed in expenses by special advisers for travel and accommodation on official business between April 2011 and the end of March 2012. There are no unpaid special advisers working in the Department.

National Childbirth Trust

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will protect public funding of the National Childbirth Trust’s practitioner training.

Anne Milton: The Department has not provided any funding to the National Childbirth Trust’s practitioner training.

NHS: Bureaucracy

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average number of hours was spent on administrative tasks per week by (a) a nurse and (b) a doctor in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: Information about the time spent by health care professionals on administrative tasks is not collected centrally and will depend on the type of role, the needs of patients and the requirements of the organisation. Some administrative tasks are an essential part of health care in delivering safe and effective patient care.
	Figures for general practitioners (GPs) are available from the latest (2010) GP worklife survey conducted by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, which showed that GPs worked an average of 41.4 hours per week and on average, 11.1% of their time is spent on administration. This equates to 4.6 hours per week being spent on administration. The sample size was approximately 1,000 GPs.
	On 6 January we announced a series of measures to improve the quality of nursing care and free up nurses to provide the care patients and relatives expect. This included rolling out the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement's Productive Series ‘Releasing Time to Care’ initiative to free nurses from non-essential paperwork and excessive bureaucracy.
	Further details about ‘Releasing Time to Care’ are available on the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement's website at:
	www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_value/productivity_series/the_productive_series.html
	We understand that the Royal College of Nursing are looking at this issue.

NHS: Drugs

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions he has overruled a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendation on the availability of a drug on the NHS; and what the circumstances were in each such case.

Simon Burns: None. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is an independent body and must be allowed to develop its guidance free from political interference.

NHS: Manpower

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the total number of staff who left employment in the NHS in the last year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Between January 2011 and January 2012, the latest data available, the NHS Information Centre monthly publication showed that 95,574 staff left the national health service.

NHS: Pensions

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on pensions in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) manages the NHS Pension Scheme and administers employer and employee contributions received from NHS organisations. The following table sets out the total amount of employer contributions the BSA has received between 1996-2011 from employers with access to the NHS Pension Scheme.
	
		
			 Financial year Employer contributions (£000) 
			 1996-97 554,202 
			 1997-98 605,053 
			 1998-99 663,982 
			 1999-2000 723,950 
			 2000-01 925,169 
			 2001-02 1,504,273 
			 2002-03 1,632,536 
			 2003-04 3,588,337 
			 2004-05 3,890,167 
			 2005-06 4,301,122 
			 2006-07 4,579,685 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 4,686,588 
			 2008-09 5,006,587 
			 2009-10 5,330,140 
			 2010-11 5,553,234 
			 Source: The NHS Pension Scheme and NHS Compensation for Retirement Scheme Resource Accounts.

Obesity

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on obesity management in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The Department does not hold this information. It is up to primary care trusts to commission a range of health care services for their population, based on clinical need and effectiveness.
	The Foresight team which is part of the Government Office for Science published ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices in 2007’. The Foresight team estimated the cost of obesity and overweight to the national health service (in terms of the cost of treating the conditions and diseases attributable to obesity) to be £4.2 billion in 2007; more recent research suggest that this could be as high as £5.1 billion.

Obesity: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of children likely to be obese in the next 10 years.

Anne Milton: Data from the Health Survey for England show a flattening of the previous upward trend in childhood obesity. The overall rate remains high at 16% for two to 15-year-old children. The ‘Call to action’ sets out a new national ambition for reversing the trend in the level of excess weight in children by 2020.
	A copy of the ‘Call to action’ has already been placed in the Library.

Prescription Drugs: Shortages

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited more than 24 hours to receive prescription medication due to medicine stock shortages in (a) Coventry and (b) England in March 2012.

Simon Burns: This information is not available centrally.

Prescription Drugs: Shortages

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that UK medicine stocks are protected from the effects of international economic factors;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Euro exchange rate fluctuations on medicine stock shortages in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The export of medicines to other member states can be carried out legally by anyone who holds the necessary licences under medicines legislation. However, a provision of European medicines legislation (Article 81 of Directive 2001/83/EC), requires that the person who holds an authorisation to market a medicine and the relevant distributor must ensure appropriate and continued supply of the product to pharmacies and other authorised suppliers, so that the needs of patients are met. This requirement has been implemented into United Kingdom medicines legislation.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the UK, investigates all reports of suspected breaches of medicines legislation including matters relating to Article 81. The MHRA has reminded distributors of their duties in this area, and continues to undertake targeted inspections to ensure compliance with the regulations.
	The Department carefully monitors shortages of medicines, which are influenced by many factors including the exchange rate, and continues to work closely with supply chain stakeholders to ensure patients receive the medicines they need.

Prescriptions

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to prescribers on the practice of issuing prescriptions without physically examining the patient.

Simon Burns: The Department has not issued guidance on this issue. Doctors and other prescribers are governed by their professional regulators, who ensure proper standards in prescribing. The General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and General Pharmaceutical Council have all issued guidance on prescribing, with the GMC and NMC including specific standards on remote and repeat prescribing.

Public Expenditure

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the five largest pieces of internal expenditure have been within his Department since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The five largest single payments made in the period 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2012 are as follows.
	
		
			 Supplier Payment date Value (£) 
			 CSC Computer Sciences Ltd 22 December 2011 21,227,693.97 
			 Bytes Technology Group Ltd 22 July 2010 35,583,169.99 
			 Computacenter UK Ltd 22 July 2010 23,474,946.22 
			 Oxfordshire county council 30 June 2011 19,224,138.00 
			 Staffordshire county council 7 July 2011 19,648,908.00 
		
	
	These single payments made to the commercial organisations may represent a number of individual invoices. The payments to Oxfordshire and Staffordshire county councils are for social care grants.

Schizophrenia: Prisoners

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the treatment pathway and services to support prisoners with schizophrenia following their release from prison.

Paul Burstow: Former prisoners have a lower than average level of engagement with primary care services and this means they are less likely to be in touch with community and specialist mental health services. In many areas assertive outreach teams have been commissioned to improve engagement with mental health services. The Government's mental health outcomes strategy, ‘No Health Without Mental Health’, makes it clear that consideration of equality of access to mental health services for offenders should be part of the planning and development of services.

Schizophrenia: Prisoners

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of suicides related to schizophrenia amongst (a) prisoners and (b) people released from prison in the last five years.

Paul Burstow: In the last five years 15 people in prison have committed suicide where there was a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia or other delusional disorder.
	Similar information is not available for people after they leave prison.

Sick Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sick days were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is given in the following table. Also included are the average working days lost (AWDL) per staff member for comparison.
	
		
			  Total number of (working) absence days due to sickness AWDL per staff per year 
			 January 2011 to December 2011 9,962 4.1 
			 January 2010 to December 2010 11,810 4.5 
			 January 2009 to December 2009 11,262 4.6

Social Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the funding allocated for primary care trust spending on social care was spent on (a) prevention services, (b) communicating equipment and adaptations, (c) telecare, (d) crisis response services, (e) maintaining eligibility criteria, (f) re-ablement and (g) mental health by each primary care trust in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2012, Official Report, columns 194-95W.

Speech Therapy

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance and support he expects clinical commissioning consortia to receive to ensure that they commission an appropriate range of services for people with speech, language and communication needs.

Simon Burns: As commissioners, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will need to have strong relationships with a range of health partners to provide them with access to information, advice and knowledge to help them make the best possible commissioning decisions. They will be under a statutory duty to seek advice in commissioning services from a broad range of professionals, such as those who are well placed to understand the speech, language and communication needs of local populations. They will also be able to access advice from clinical senates and networks.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will have a duty to publish commissioning guidance to which CCGs must have regard. In addition, CCGs will work with local authorities to develop a comprehensive analysis of health and social care needs in each local area, and to translate these into action through the joint health and wellbeing strategy and their own commissioning plans.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of spinal muscular atrophy among health care professionals and the public.

Paul Burstow: There is information available for both the public and health care professionals concerning spinal muscular atrophy available on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/conditions/spinal-muscular-atrophy/pages/introduction.aspx
	There is also information on the NHS Evidence website, with a number of resources published by clinicians, charities and professional organisations available at:
	www.evidence.nhs.uk/search?q=Spinal+Muscular+Atrophy
	Furthermore, the Department has referred for development a quality standard for relatively uncommon neurological problems to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in March 2012, following advice from the National Quality Board. The primary purpose of NICE quality standards is to make it clear what quality care is by providing patients, carers and the public, health and social care professionals, commissioners and service providers with definitions of high-quality health and social care.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Pregnancy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give consideration to routinely offering blood tests to all pregnant women to test for the presence of spinal muscular atrophy and genetic abnormalities.

Simon Burns: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, the committee assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	The UK NSC has not reviewed the evidence for antenatal spinal muscular atrophy screening. However, where stakeholder organisations feel that there is enough evidence published in peer reviewed journals to consider screening for a condition, they can submit a policy proposal to the UK NSC. Further information is available on the UK NSC’s website at:
	www.screening.nhs.uk/policyreview

Surgery

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled by hospitals in Barnsley metropolitan borough in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: Information is not centrally held in the format requested. The number of elective operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons between quarter 4 of 2010-11 and quarter 3 of 2011-12 for Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons 
			  Number 
			 Quarter 4 2010-11 48 
			 Quarter 1 2011-12 49 
			 Quarter 2 2011-12 31 
			 Quarter 3 2011-12 56 
			 Total 184 
			 Note: A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. Source: Department of Health dataset Quarterly Monitoring Cancelled Operations.

Surgery: Males

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many male breast reduction operations were carried out in the last three years, broken down by age of patient.

Simon Burns: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of finished consultant episodes (1)  where a main or secondary procedure (2)  of breast reduction was carried out and the patient was male for 2008-09 to 2010-11 by patient age at start of the episode 
			 Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Age group 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total 
			 10-19 7 4 6 17 
			 20-29 13 6 11 30 
			 30-39 3 3 5 11 
			 40-49 6 1 4 11 
			 50-59 — 1 — 1 
			 60-69 3 3 3 9 
			 70+ 1 — 2 3 
			 Total 33 18 31 82 
			 (1 )Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a hospital episode statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a "cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. Notes: 1. OPCS 4 Codes used 2. B31.1—Reduction mammoplasty 3. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of waiting times for elective surgery.

Simon Burns: National health service referral to treatment (RTT) waiting times data published on 19 April 2012 show that the average (median) time waited for patients completing an RTT pathway in February 2012 was 8.7 weeks for admitted patients.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Tax Credit

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many families received the child element of the child tax credit in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	For 2009-10, this information is available in the HMRC publication ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised annual awards. Geographical Analyses’ (this is the latest year for which data are available; 2010-11 data will be published 31 May 2012), available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-final-awards-may11.pdf
	Table 3 has the requested information for Bexleyheath and Crayford. The numbers benefiting from the child element of child tax credit are those out of work(1), those receiving WTC and CTC, and those receiving CTC only more than the family element. This is approximately 4.8 thousand households.
	(1) The statistics for out of work families include households who were administered by DWP and claimed their child support through benefits. In addition, a small number (<30) of those classified as out of work had income high enough to be on or below the family element plateau and therefore were not technically beneficiaries of this element.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice and recommendations has the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission received to date from the independent panel it has established to consider child maintenance arrears.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what advice and recommendations has the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission received to date from the independent panel it has established to consider child maintenance arrears.
	The independent advisory panel on arrears has reported and made a number of recommendations as to how the Commission could more effectively manage and collect the £3.8 billion of child maintenance arrears outstanding. The report is due to be published soon.
	The Commission is presently in the process of implementing the report including measures for improving collections and enforcement and mechanisms for making the treatment of different categories of arrears more transparent.
	One aspect of the panel's report where we have already made significant progress concerns the bringing into force of powers contained in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008, which would enable the write off of arrears in some (limited) circumstances, and the ability to accept a part payment of arrears from the non-resident parent in lieu of the full amount owed. The Government has recently consulted publicly on the implementation of these powers, and will publish its response in due course.

Children: Maintenance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's main objective will remain to support separated families and securing children's futures by maximising the number of children living in separated families who receive fair and regular financial support from the non-resident parent when the Commission becomes an executive agency.

Maria Miller: The Government restated our continued commitment to maximising the number of effective maintenance arrangements during the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill.
	The change we are proposing in abolishing the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and transferring its functions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), will enable Ministers to have more direct control; responsibility and accountability for the delivery of child support strategic and operational policy as well as ongoing and future reforms to child maintenance.
	The Government's consultation on the proposals ended on 3 January 2012 and our response can be found here:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/cmec-abolition.shtml

Children: Maintenance

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much is owed to parents in unpaid Child Support Agency claims (a) nationally and (b) in South Swindon constituency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. 1 have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much is owed to parents in unpaid Child Support Agency claims (a) nationally and (b) in South Swindon constituency.
	As at March 2012, the total outstanding arrears of child maintenance owed by non-resident parents stood at £3.799 billion. Approximately £2.24 billion of this is owed to parents with care with the remainder owed to the Secretary of State.
	As at March 2012, there was a total of £6.9 million outstanding arrears of child maintenance owed by non-resident parents to a parent with care residing in South Swindon Parliamentary Constituency. £4.3 million of this is owed specifically to the parent with care with the remainder owed to the Secretary of State.

Children: Maintenance

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents used the Child Support Agency to arrange maintenance payments for their children (a) nationally and (b) in South Swindon constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents used the Child Support Agency to arrange maintenance payments for their children (a) nationally and (b) in South Swindon constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.
	In the quarter to March 2012, 1,128,400 cases were being handled by the Child Support Agency. Of these, 2,100 cases involved a parent with care residing in South Swindon Parliamentary Constituency.

Children: Maintenance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the Child Support Agency's assessed caseload is constituted by individuals who are in employment and pay their child maintenance liabilities via a deduction from earnings order.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	The Child Support Agency does not hold information on the actual method of collection, but does record the non-resident parent's preferred method of collection.
	In the quarter to March 2012, 28% of employed non-resident parents on live and assessed cases had a preferred method of collection of Deduction from Earnings Order/Request.

Children: Maintenance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the financial circumstances of Child Support Agency-assessed cases where the non-resident parent is not employed.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the financial circumstances of Child Support Agency-assessed cases where the non-resident parent is not employed.
	Financial information in respect of the income for a non-resident parent (NRP) is required by the Child Support Agency (CSA) to determine how much child maintenance a NRP should pay in respect of their children.
	The information recorded is dependant upon the individual NRP's circumstances and what income they receive. For example, if an NRP is employed or self-employed information regarding income from wages the NRP receives and employment details will be recorded.
	The financial details that the CSA holds on non-resident parents who do not receive income from employment will again vary depending on an individual's circumstances. If the NRP is in receipt of benefit(s) then the CSA will have on record information relating to the benefit, they receive. If the non-resident parent is not in receipt of benefit then the financial information the CSA will have on record will be in relation to what income, if any, they, do have or if they have no income how they are supported financially. For example, records may include details of pensions, income from dividends, savings, or, if they are supported by a partner and have no other income.

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has to charge for the collection of old child maintenance arrears which have accumulated under the previous two child support schemes when fees to use the new statutory child maintenance system are introduced from July 2013.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has to charge for the collection of old child maintenance arrears which have accumulated under the previous two child support schemes when fees to use the new statutory child maintenance system are introduced from July 2013.
	There are no such plans. Historical arrears from the two current schemes that are collected under the new scheme will not have a collection or enforcement charge levied against them. They will continue to be collected regardless of whether or not a parent to whom the debt is owed decides to open a case in the new child support scheme.

Children: Maintenance

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had on assisting the Child Support Agency in tracing non-UK citizens who are non-resident parents of children in the UK.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on assisting the Child Support Agency to trace non-UK citizens who are non-resident parents of children in the UK.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (the Commission) has jurisdiction, i.e. legal authority, to make a maintenance calculation and collect child support maintenance only when the parent with care, the non-resident parent and the qualifying child are all habitually resident in the United Kingdom (UK). Habitual residence is a legal concept which means more than simply 'where you live'. A person can habitually reside in more than one country or in none. Habitual residence can continue during an absence from the UK.
	In instances where we have jurisdiction, the Commission can use its information seeking powers enshrined in child support legislation to identify and trace the non-resident parent. Caseworkers can use a range of tools to trace non-resident parents. For example our Common Enquiry Service enables caseworkers to consider information from Income Support; Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance/Maternity Allowance; Working Families Tax Credits and Job Seekers Allowance systems. If the Caseworker is unable to locate a non-resident parent using the Common Enquiry Service, they will use a system that provides links to credit reference agency data. Caseworkers can also approach the HM Revenue and Customs to request a search on their tax and other databases.
	We presently do not have arrangements in place for tracking non-resident parents who travel into and out of the UK. Where a non-resident parent is not habitually resident in the UK, then the mechanism for securing child maintenance is the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Order (REMO). The REMO system is operated by the Ministry of Justice for England and Wales and by the devolved administrations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Children: Maintenance

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the March 2009 IT contract agreed between the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and Tata Consultancy Services, what links to other IT systems were required to be built into the new IT system for the future statutory child maintenance system; and which those systems were.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the March 2009 IT contract agreed between the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and Tata Consultancy Services, what links to other IT systems were required to be built into the new IT system for the future statutory child maintenance system; and which those systems were.
	The new computer system which is being developed by Tata Consultancy Services has links to 17 other IT systems. Seven of these systems are owned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); the other ten are to systems external to the DWP.
	The seven DWP systems include: the Income Support Computer System, the Jobseekers Allowance Computer Systems (incorporating Employment Support Allowance), the Programme Accounting Computer System, the Central Payment System, the Customer Information System (for verifying clients) and the two existing child support computer systems—CSCS and CS2.
	The ten external systems include those for: statements and transfers between accounts (operated by the Commission's bank), direct credits and debits to and from clients bank accounts, employment information and taxable income records, post opening and document scanning, processing debit and credit card payments, debit and credit card charge-backs, Simple Message System (SMS) provision, credit reference checks, telephony services and the Government Gateway (for authentication of self-service customers—clients and employers).

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in child support arrears is owed by non-resident parents to parents with care, in each parliamentary constituency, in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and arrange for a copy of the table to be placed in the Library. I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child support arrears are owed by non-resident parents to parents with care, by parliamentary constituency, in the most recent period for which figures are available.
	The collection of child maintenance arrears continues to be a priority. It is children who lose out when parents do not live up to their responsibilities. We are determined to get to grips with the £3.8bn debt which has accumulated over the last 19 years and we want to collect as much as we possibly can.
	However, it is important to recognise that not all arrears can be collected. Much is very old and much is no longer actually wanted by the parent with care. A significant proportion is likely to be revised downwards very substantially at the point the debtor finally agrees to pay and provides full information on their financial position, as it reflects interim maintenance assessments made in the 1990s which were artificially inflated.
	Finally, only 59% of arrears are actually owed to parents with care; the remainder is owed to the Secretary of State rather than parents with care in lieu of benefits paid out in the past. This is properly owed and should be. paid, but its collection is subject to different considerations from that owed directly to parents with care.
	The table, which has been placed in the Library, shows the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents as of March 2012, for cases administered on the Child Support Agency's computer systems, based on the parliamentary constituency of the parent with care, and the subtotal which is actually owed to parents with care.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the special teams established by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in 2010 to target historic child maintenance arrears, what work those teams have undertaken since their establishment to reduce historic arrears; and what assessment he has made of their success to date in collecting arrears owed.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the special teams established by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in 2010 to target historic child maintenance arrears, what work those teams have undertaken since their establishment to reduce historic arrears; and what assessment he has made of their success to date in collecting arrears owed.
	In 2010 the Child Support Agency implemented a strategy to recover arrears from cases that had been dormant for some considerable time. Around 40,000 cases were identified and reviewed against HM Revenue and Customs data to establish employment details with the work to recover arrears being prioritised on those cases where positive employment information had been returned.
	Teams were created in all areas of the country to focus on this work. There was around 400 caseworkers involved in the project.
	The teams contacted parents with care, non-resident parents and employers. We found that many families had made their own arrangements, that many parents with care did not want to re-open cases and that much of the HM Revenue and Customs data was no longer current and we were still unable to trace many of the non-resident parents listed.
	However, our caseworkers have made considerable progress. As a result of this action we have cleared 21,000 cases and collected maintenance for 30,000 parents with care benefiting 39,000 children with payments totalling £23,000,000.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much is outstanding in child maintenance payments, and by how many people, in respect of sums owed to (a) the Secretary of State and (b) parents with care, broken down by cases dealt with under (i) the CSCS computer systems, (ii) the CS2 computer system and (iii) off-main-systems arrangements.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much is outstanding in child maintenance payments, and by how many people, in respect of sums owed to (a) the Secretary of State and (b) parents with care, broken down by cases dealt with under (i) the CSCS computer system, (ii) the CS2 computer system and (iii) off-main-systems arrangements.
	At March 2012, the total amount of outstanding child maintenance arrears was £3.8bn.
	The table below shows the total number of cases with arrears and the amount of arrears split by computer system and creditor.
	
		
			 Computer system Arrears owed to the Secretary of State Arrears owed to parents with c are 
			  Arrears amount (£ million) Number of cases Arrears amount (£ million) Number of cases 
			 CSCS 798 172,500 684 194,400 
			 CS2 760 370,700 1,558 854,300 
		
	
	Arrears for the majority of cases managed off the computer system will be included in the CS2 information. It is not currently possible to report off system arrears information separately.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average non-resident parent child maintenance debt is that is owed to (a) parents with care and (b) the Secretary of State.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average non-resident parent child maintenance debt is that is owed to (a) parents with care and (b) the Secretary of State.
	As at March 2012, the average amount of child maintenance arrears owed to parents with care is £2,100 and the average amount of arrears owed to the Secretary of State is £2,900.

Children: Maintenance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of existing customers of the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency, who will not be invited to reapply to the future scheme; and what his criteria is for making such decisions.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of existing customers of the live and assessed caseload of the Child Support Agency, who will not be invited to reapply to the future scheme; and what his criteria is for making such decisions.
	We will run the new scheme for new cases only for at least six months, to ensure it is working and delivering an improved client service. At that point, we will begin to close all existing Child Support Agency cases, provide support to them to enable them to make a family-based arrangement and, if they are unable to do this, to choose whether to apply to the new scheme. It will take about three years for us to complete the closure process for all relevant clients.
	The only CSA clients who will not be invited to make a choice between a family-based arrangement and an application for the new scheme are those whose cases will close naturally, usually because the child or children have grown up before the end of the case closure period.
	We are in the process of refining assumptions as to the number of clients whose cases will be closed and the estimates will be published alongside the impact assessment covering charging and case closure later this year.

Disability Living Allowance

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people who have identified restricted growth as their primary disability are currently in receipt of disability living allowance broken down by higher/lower rate mobility and higher/middle and lower rate care components for the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people with restricted growth identified as their primary disability have had their entitlement to disability living allowance withdrawn in (a) the last financial year and (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such Information as is available is included in the following table. National Statistics datasets available for analysis do not hold information on disability living allowance recipients who have had their entitlement withdrawn.
	
		
			 Disability living allowance (DLA) cases in payment by disabling condition and mobility and care award type: August 2011 
			  All Disease of the Muscles, Bones or Joints Metabolic disease 
			 All 3,222,690 196,510 10,540 
			 Higher Rate Mobility 1,788,340 142,330 7,180 
			 Lower Rate Mobility 1,014,850 8,390 1,160 
			 Nil Rate Mobility 419,500 45,790 2,220 
			 Higher Rate Care 760,000 32,990 3,020 
			 Middle Rate Care 1,087,620 45,760 3,520 
			 Lower Rate Care 903,380 82,430 2,670 
			 Nil Rate Care 471,700 35,330 1,340 
			 Notes: 1. Case loads are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. Main disabling condition is published on the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS 100%) tabulation tool from May 2011. 4. There are many causes of restricted growth, only the commonest is coded separately by the DWP, this is 'Achondroplasia [O42]'. The DWP records two other categories separately that may include people whose primary disability relates to their restricted growth, these are 'Growth hormone deficiency [S02]' and 'Other genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations [O50]'. 5. Prior to October 2008 recipients of disability living allowance (DLA) were classified to one of 50 disabling conditions. After October 2008 claimants were allocated to a disabling condition using a more detailed range of more than 500 classifications however the department does not publish these finer classifications. For publication purposes the classifications are mapped to the broader classifications as approximately 60% of disabling condition codes on the system are currently recorded under the previous classifications. 6. 'Achondraplasia' and 'Other genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations' form part of the Disease of the Muscles, Bones or Joints group. 'Growth hormone deficiency' forms part of the Metabolic Disease group. 7. Figures are published on the tabulation tool: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Disability Living Allowance

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency who have identified sight impairment as their primary disability are currently receiving disability living allowance in each higher and lower rate mobility and higher and middle and lower rate care components for the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Disability living allowance (DLA) cases in payment in Motherwell and Wishaw parliamentary constituency where the main disabling condition is blindness or deaf/blind by care and mobility rate: August 2011 
			  Number 
			 Total 140 
			 Higher Rate Care Component 10 
			 Middle Rate Care Component 50 
			 Lower Rate Care component 60 
			 Nil Rate Care Component 20 
			 Higher Rate Mobility Component 30 
		
	
	
		
			 Lower Rate Mobility Component 100 
			 Nil Rate Mobility Component 10 
			 Notes: 1. Case loads are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. Information on the main disabling condition is published on the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS 100%) tabulation tool from May 2011. 4. Prior to October 2008 recipients of disability living allowance (DLA) were classified to one of 50 disabling conditions. After October 2008 claimants were allocated to a disabling condition using a more detailed range of more than 500 classifications however the department does not publish these finer classifications. For publication purposes the classifications are mapped to the broader classifications as approximately 60% of disabling condition codes on the system are currently recorded under the previous classifications. 5. Blindness and deaf/blind encompass a range of sight impairments and visual diseases. 6. These figures include a small number of people who may have a visual disease but not a sight impairment. We cannot disaggregate this information. 7. Figures are published on the tabulation tool: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Source: DWP Information. Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Glasgow North constituency who have identified sight impairment as their primary disability received disability living allowance in each higher and lower rate mobility and higher and middle and lower rate care components in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Disability living allowance (DLA) cases in payment in Glasgow North parliamentary constituency where the main disabling condition is classified as blindness or deaf/blind by care and mobility rate: August 2011 
			  Number 
			 Total 90 
			 Higher Rate Care Component — 
			 Middle Rate Care Component 30 
			 Lower Rate Care component 40 
			 Nil Rate Care Component 10 
			 Higher Rate Mobility Component 20 
			 Lower Rate Mobility Component 70 
			 Nil Rate Mobility Component — 
			 Notes: 1. Case loads are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. ‘—’ denotes nil or negligible. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. Information on the main disabling condition is published on the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS 100%) tabulation tool from May 2011. 4. Prior to October 2008 recipients of disability living allowance (DLA) were classified to one of 50 disabling conditions. After October 2008 claimants were allocated to a disabling condition using a more detailed range of more than 500 classifications however the department does not publish these finer classifications. For publication purposes the classifications are mapped to the broader classifications as approximately 60% of disabling condition codes on the system are currently recorded under the previous classifications. 5. Blindness and deaf/blind encompass a range of sight impairments and visual diseases. 6. These figures include a small number of people who may have a visual disease but not a sight impairment. We cannot disaggregate this information. 7. Figures are published on the tabulation tool: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many representations his Department has received on the complexity of the disability living allowance application form; and how many appeals against decisions taken have resulted from this.

Maria Miller: Disability living allowance (DLA) is a complex benefit and the claim form has been developed to ensure that all the necessary information is gathered to allow the correct entitlement to be assessed.
	DLA has, over the last five years, introduced a cycle of continuous improvement in the enhancement and development of its claim forms.
	Feedback and ideas are sought form the PDCS Advisory Forum, customer representative groups and staff.
	We do not collect data on the number of appeals that are received as a result of customers finding the claim form difficult to complete. Where a customer is unhappy with a decision they are encouraged to seek a reconsideration prior to any appeal and at this stage concerns over claim form completion should be identified and resolved.
	We acknowledge that the DLA application form is long and complex and that is why as part of the introduction of personal independent payment from April 2013—we are seeking to simplify the application process, make it more accessible and easier to understand.

Employers’ Liability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the factors accounting for the time taken to establish the Employers Liability Insurance Bureau; and when he expects to announce a date for its establishment.

Chris Grayling: We are taking this issue extremely seriously.
	The issues raised are complex, and to ensure we get this right we have been working intensely with stakeholders over the past 18 months to find a solution. We hope to provide an update on progress before the summer recess.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those who entered the employment and support allowance work-related activity group between the introduction of employment and support allowance and April 2010 left it within (a) one year and (b) two years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of those previously on incapacity benefit who have been reassessed for employment and support allowance and (a) placed into the work-related activity group and (b) found fit for work have appealed against the decision.

Chris Grayling: The Department recently published official statistics on Incapacity Benefit Reassessment, covering all claims that started the reassessment process up to the end of July 2011. The publication can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr
	Information on the number of appeals against IB reassessment outcomes is not available.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many placements on the Mandatory Work Activity scheme have been contracted nationwide.

Chris Grayling: The Department has made available around 19,000 contracted Mandatory Work Activity placements per year nationwide.
	Claimants are referred to Mandatory Work Activity based on their needs. There is no set number of referrals required. We pay for each claimant who starts a placement.

Employment Schemes: Young People

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Youth Contract in reducing youth unemployment.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract was introduced in April 2012 to provide additional support, worth almost £1 billion, to young unemployed people over the next three years.
	The Department are developing an evaluation strategy for the Youth Contract.
	The Youth Contract will provide nearly half-a-million new opportunities for young people. It builds on existing support available through Jobcentre Plus and Work programme, enabling young unemployed people to look for work, gain work experience and skills and find real, lasting jobs.

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for the social fund funeral payment in Scotland his Department received in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The following table provides the figures on the total number of funeral payment applications and awards for Scotland received in the last five years.
	
		
			 Funeral payment applications and awards over the past five years in Scotland 
			  Applications Awards 
			 2007-08 8,700 5,700 
			 2008-09 8,600 5,400 
			 2009-10 8,400 5,200 
			 2010-11 8,300 4,600 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 8,500 4,200 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average amount was (a) asked for and (b) awarded by his Department in response to applications to the social fund funeral payment in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: Information on the average amount asked for on a social fund funeral payment application is not collected. The following table provides the figures showing the average funeral payment award in Scotland in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Average amount awarded for funeral payment over past five years in Scotland 
			  Applications Awards Average award (£) 
			 2007-08 8,700 5,700 1,200 
			 2008-09 8,600 5,400 1,200 
			 2009-10 8,400 5,200 1,200 
			 2010-11 8,300 4,600 1,300 
			 2011-12 8,500 4,200 1,500 
			 Source: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Housing Benefit

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 467W, on housing benefit, on what dates he has met representatives of the (a) National Landlords Association and (b) Residential Landlords Association to discuss direct payment of housing benefit to tenants under universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Minister for Welfare Reform, the noble Lord, Lord Freud, met with landlords associations, including representatives from the National Landlords Association and the Residential Landlords Association on 18 October 2011. A number of issues were discussed, including the direct payment of universal credit to tenants. In addition, my officials often meet with landlords’ representatives and plan to do so again in the near future.
	At present, under the local housing allowance (LHA) arrangements, housing benefit is paid to claimants in the majority of cases. For some claimants who are likely to run into financial difficulties or have built up significant arrears, payment is made to the landlord. The Government plan to broadly replicate these provision within universal credit. We have also introduced a new temporary safeguard to allow local authorities to pay housing benefit direct to the landlord where it helps a claimant secure or retain a tenancy at a reduced rent.

Maternity Pay

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the statutory maternity pay caseload in each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 SMP caseload 
			  Thousand 
			 2012-13 232 
			 2013-14 235 
			 2014-15 235 
			 2015-16 234 
			 2016-17 234 
		
	
	This represents the average number of women expected to be in receipt of statutory maternity pay (SMP) on any given day within the financial year.

Occupational Pensions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost and (b) administrative burden of a voluntary, any time opt-out from the automatic enrolment regulations for temporary workers; and what steps his Department has taken to minimise the administrative obligations for (i) agency workers and (ii) agencies.

Steve Webb: We have not made an assessment of the cost and burden of an ‘any time opt out’ for automatic enrolment.
	Automatic enrolment is designed to tackle the problem of increased longevity coupled with widespread under saving for retirement.
	It will transform the UK’s long-term savings culture and support individuals in taking responsibility for their retirement. The reforms are designed to harness people’s decision making inertia by creating a presumption that they will save for their retirement in a workplace pension.
	Each time an individual begins a new job with an employer, they must be automatically enrolled if they are eligible. A decision to opt out in one employment should not mean that an individual is not automatically enrolled in a subsequent one when their circumstances may be different.
	We have taken steps to minimise the administrative burdens of the workplace pension reforms.
	In particular, the Pensions Act 2011 introduces an optional waiting period which allows an employer to defer a worker’s automatic enrolment date by up to three months. This will particularly benefit those employers, including agencies, who employ workers on contracts of less than three months.
	Furthermore, we have, for example, simplified the legislation which requires employers to provide all workers with specific information at specific times. This will make it easier for employers to understand and to administer.

Occupational Pensions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the competitiveness of the agency worker industry of the staged implementation scheme for the automatic enrolment regulations.

Steve Webb: Staging employers into automatic enrolment duties over time is essential to ensure a smooth roll out and make implementation manageable for employers and the pensions industry. The Government has concluded that staging employers by the number of employees is the best approach.
	The approach to implementation has been designed to minimise any impact on competition with minimum employer contributions set at just 1% of a band of earnings over the implementation period. Minimum contributions only increase beyond this level once all existing employers have been brought into the reforms.
	The effect on competition between employers, including agencies, is explored in the Impact Assessment on the Workplace Pension Reform Regulations of 12 January 2010, a copy of which can be found in the House Library.

Occupational Pensions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms his Department has put in place to (a) monitor the impact of the automatic enrolment regulations on the competitiveness and flexibility of the agency worker industry and (b) review the provisions of the regulations once their effect has been evaluated.

Steve Webb: We are committed to a full evaluation of the impact of the workplace pension reforms on different sectors of the economy. A copy of the workplace pension reform evaluation strategy can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2011-2012/rrep764.pdf
	The Department will undertake a review of the regulations at the appropriate time, should the evaluation show that to be necessary.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monthly data his Department will receive during HM Revenue and Custom's pilot of PAYE real time information.

Chris Grayling: DWP staff are taking a full part in monitoring the progress of the initial controlled go live of the RTI pilot. There is agreement between the RTI and Universal Credit programmes that regular reports on progress with the pilot will be exchanged. However, no data attributable to an actual taxpayer will be exchanged during the pilot year.

Pensions

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what savings will accrue to the public purse from the abolition of savings credit for new pensioners in each fiscal year from 2015-16 to 2019-20;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the saving that would be made by the introduction of a seven-year minimum qualifying rule for the new flat-rate state pension in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20;
	(3)  how many new pensioners will no longer be entitled to savings credit once it is abolished for new pensioners in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20;
	(4)  what the average value per year will be for a new pensioner no longer entitled to Savings Credit once it is abolished for new pensioners.

Steve Webb: As announced by the Chancellor in his Budget, I can confirm that we will bring forward further detail on the reform of the state pension in a White Paper to be published later in the spring, along with a full impact assessment as part of the normal process. Final decisions on the detailed implementation of the policy will be made at the next spending review.

Personal Independence Payment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  in what circumstances a partially sighted person may qualify for the personal independence payment when applying for work; whether such an application would be means-tested; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in what circumstances a partially sighted person applying for work would qualify for (a) the personal independence payment and (b) employment and support allowance.

Maria Miller: Personal independence payment can be paid to people who are in work or out of work. It will be non-means-tested, so earnings and other sources of income will not affect the amount of personal independence payment payable. It will also be a non-taxable benefit.
	The Government spends £40 billion supporting disabled people through services and benefits. Personal independence payment is being designed to ensure that those who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life will be in receipt of the right level of support that recognises the individual's needs. Therefore entitlement to personal independence payment will be based on the extent to which an individual's health condition or impairment affects their day to day life, not on the nature of the health condition itself.
	A partially sighted person would qualify for employment and support allowance if they meet the entitlement conditions. A key factor in determining eligibility for employment and support allowance is the work capability assessment which looks at functional capability and how an individual's condition affects their ability to undertake a range of activities. The medical condition recorded on a claim form does not in itself confer entitlement to employment and support allowance.

Personal Independence Payment

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people registered as blind or partially sighted in St Helens South and Whiston constituency will be affected by the change from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Maria Miller: The information you have requested is not available. As part of the formal consultation on the second draft of the assessment criteria, my Department published information on the estimated benefit caseload under personal independence payment. This information, which is only available for Great Britain, is in the ‘Personal Independence Payment: assessment thresholds consultation’, published in January 2012. It can be accessed on the Department for Work and Pensions website.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  which of his Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification;
	(2)  whether his Department collects the IP addresses of respondents to its consultations;
	(3)  whether his Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is guided in its consultations by the Government code of practice on consultation. The information requested on external verification could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All consultation responses are considered carefully. The Department prefers respondents to identify themselves and offers to treat responses in confidence, but accepts anonymous contributions provided they are considered to be unique and relevant to the consultation.
	The Department does not collect IP addresses of respondents to consultations published on the DWP website.

Remploy

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been of refitting, repairing and general maintenance of each Remploy building earmarked for vacation or closure in each of the last five years;
	(2)  which Remploy facilities identified for vacation following the announcement of the closure programme are (a) owned and (b) leased; what estimate his Department has made of the costs of relinquishing those leases; and what estimate it has made of the cost of vacating these offices;
	(3)  what the running costs were of each Remploy factory in Scotland in each of the last five years; and what the fixed accommodation cash running costs of Remploy factories in Scotland were over each of the last five years;
	(4)  with which estate partners Remploy holds contracts relating to accommodation and facilities management for its offices in Scotland.

Maria Miller: The Remploy Board started collective consultation on 19 March 2012 on the proposed closure of 36 factories the board considers are unlikely to achieve independent financial viability. It is important to be absolutely clear that all decisions about proposed factory closures and redundancies are subject to this ongoing collective consultation process and that no final decisions have been made about these matters. As part of collective consultation, the Remploy Board will consider all proposals to avoid compulsory redundancy.
	Remploy is currently in the first stage of its commercial process with regard to exit of the businesses, or parts of the businesses which are currently proposed for closure. The Remploy Board welcomes any proposals for the exit of businesses or parts of businesses, to the extent that such exits would be one way to reduce the risk of redundancies, which may result if one or more of the factories proposed for closure is closed.
	As part of the commercial process interested parties will have access to commercial information subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Public release of information outside of this process could prejudice the commercial process and is therefore inappropriate at this stage.
	Information about tenure and running costs of sites can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/sayce-kpmg-report.pdf
	All information on Remploy's commercial operations is available on the Remploy
	website at:
	http://www.remploy.co.uk/news-and-media/proposed-changes-to-remploy/commercial-process.ashx

Remploy

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests he has received from each Remploy site to recruit apprentices in the last six months; and how many (a) apprenticeship vacancies were advertised at each site and (b) apprentices were taken on by each site.

Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions has not received any requests from any of the Remploy sites to recruit apprentices in the last six months. No apprenticeship vacancies have been advertised and no apprentices taken on by Remploy at any site. In respect of the Remploy site in the hon. Member's constituency, Remploy have informed me that there have been three apprentices working on the premises, one since 31 October 2011 and two since 7 November. These people are not employed by Remploy. Remploy have confirmed that they are employed by a separate company that has a distribution agreement with Remploy.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how he proposes local authorities will obtain tax credit and child benefit information to deliver the household benefit cap for families not receiving universal credit.

Chris Grayling: The Department intends to ensure that the required data can be shared, appropriately, to enable implementation of the benefit cap prior to the start of universal credit. Officials are currently working up the detailed design of the benefit cap, in conjunction with local authorities.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which benefits and other forms of social assistance the right-to-reside test is applied; and what representations he has received from the European Commission on the application of the test.

Chris Grayling: The habitual residence test is applied to people who wish to claim income-related benefits (income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-based employment and support allowance, pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit). The habitual residence test has two elements: a legal right to reside and an objective assessment of factual evidence of habitual residence. An EU national has a right to live in another member state as long as they are a ‘qualified person’. The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 transpose this directive into UK law, and define a qualified person who has a right to reside as someone who is a worker; a self-employed person; a job seeker; a self-sufficient person or a student. In considering whether a person is factually habitually resident, decision makers who decide entitlement to benefit, consider a wide variety of factors. These include evidence of intention to remain and attachment to the UK. Each case is treated on its own merits, in the light of the person's individual circumstances. The habitual residence test is applied irrespective of age or nationality.
	Contributory benefits (contribution-based jobseekers allowance, state pension and contribution-based employment and support allowance) are payable to anyone who satisfies the contribution and other conditions for the benefit, regardless of nationality.
	On 29 September 2011 the Government received a communication from-the European Commission in the form of a Reasoned Opinion in which the Commission states that the application of the 'right to reside test" to claims for certain residence-based non-contributory benefits constitutes an unjustified discrimination prohibited by the EU Regulations on social security coordination.
	The Government responded in November 2011 and we have not had any further representation from the Commission on this issue since then.
	We have a legal duty to provide support to people who come to this country, in line with our national and international obligations. It is also necessary to protect the taxpayer and the benefit system from possible abuse. It is unacceptable that we should be asked to open our welfare system to people who have never worked or contributed in the United Kingdom and have no intention of doing so.
	We need to make sure that the rules which apply when people from outside the UK come here do not allow people to take inappropriate advantage of our benefit system and the Government is committed to ensuring that the rules governing the payment of benefits to people from abroad are kept under review.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many nationals of countries outside the EEA were receiving social security benefits from the UK, other than by virtue of EU law, in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much was paid out to those persons other than under any entitlements under EU law, by type of benefit;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals received social security benefits by virtue of EU law, in the latest period for which figures are available, by nationality; and how much was paid to persons of each nationality, broken down by type of benefit.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the form requested.
	However, my Department published statistics on the nationality of working age benefit recipients called “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” on 20 January 2012. This can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/index.php?page=adhoc_analysis_2012_q1
	and I have also placed a copy in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department plans to publish the findings of the trial audio recording of medical interviews conducted by ATOS in April 2011.

Chris Grayling: In his year one review, Professor Harrington recommended piloting the audio recording of face-to-face assessments. The Department commissioned Atos to run a small pilot which was undertaken in the spring 2011. The findings are in the following report (published on 25 April 2012).
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/employment-and-support/wca-independent-review/year-one/

Social Security Benefits: Turkey

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the proposal from the European Commission for a Council decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Association Council set up by the agreement establishing an association between the European Economic Community and Turkey with regard to the provisions on the co-ordination of social security systems, COM(2012) 152 final; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the UK of this decision.

Chris Grayling: The Government takes the very firm view that there should be no opening up of our welfare system to people coming from abroad who do not intend to work and contribute to British society. The Government has stated in the past that, as a matter of principle, it does not intend to participate in EU agreements with third countries which extend social security rights.
	The Government notes that the European Commission has based its proposal on article 48 of the treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, on social security provisions to provide freedom of movement for workers. The Commission, in part, justifies this by comparing the extension of the internal market between the EU and Turkey to the EU agreements with the EEA and Switzerland. The Government is already taking legal action in the Court of Justice of the European Union in relation to the treaty base in recent changes to those agreements, and will also take every appropriate action in relation to the proposals on Turkey.

State Retirement Pensions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much pension a single pensioner with no other income or capital reaching pensionable age on 11 April 2012 will receive if their pension was paid (a) weekly, (b) fortnightly, (c) four-weekly and (d) 13-weekly in each of the next three years; how much each such pensioner would receive annually in pension payments; what the annual entitlement would be for each such pensioner for tax purposes; and how much tax would be payable by each such pensioner in each such year, based upon current rules and projections.

Steve Webb: The average entitlement to state pension for a person reaching pensionable age in the April 2012 is estimated to be £130 per week which equates to an annual value of approximately £6,779. The frequency with which the pension is paid does not affect the annual value.
	An individual's tax liability depends upon their total taxable income in the tax year, including their state pension entitlement and the personal allowances they are entitled to. For 2012-13, the income tax personal allowance for someone aged under 65 is £8,105, so a pensioner entitled to an annual state pension of £6,779 who has no other taxable income is not liable to income tax.
	For 2012-13, people aged 65 and over are entitled to higher personal allowances.
	Notes:
	1. Figures refer to basic state pension and additional state pension including graduated retirement benefit.
	2. Figures refer to individuals resident in Great Britain in receipt of some state pension and reaching state pension age in April 2012.
	3. The figures exclude additional amounts paid to individuals who deferred claiming their state pension.
	4. The figures include own and inherited amounts.
	Source:
	DWP calculations based on DWP 5% sample administrative data and ONS price indices statistics.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the limit in the Budget of £2.5 billion on the additional cost of universal credit from 2015-16 will be based on forecast AME expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The £2.5 billion figure will be based on forecast AME expenditure and is a flat-cash figure and so not uprated for pay and prices.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the funding allocated to universal credit he plans to spend on IT development in 2012-13.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit is forecasting to spend £250 million on IT development in the 2012-13 financial year based on current plans. No individual contract will exceed £100 million.

Welfare to Work

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether any investigations by his Department of welfare to work providers have resulted in the referrals to or involvement of (a) the police, (b) the Crown Prosecution Service and (c) any other prosecuting body in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the result was of any such referral;
	(2)  pursuant to the evidence of the Minister for Employment to the Work and Pensions Committee of 19 March 2012, HC 1903, Q61, what the subjects were of the 125 allegations related to welfare to work contracts with his Department since 2005; how many of the allegations were treated as accounting errors or similar; how many resulted in further investigation; which providers were involved in allegations which were investigated; and how many investigations each provider has experienced.

Chris Grayling: The Department treats any allegation of fraud by contractors very seriously. Any fraud is completely unacceptable. Where we identify, or are notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by DWP's professionally trained and experienced investigations to a standard required to support reference to the police whenever evidence of criminal offences is discovered.
	When an allegation of fraud against a provider is received, we assess whether further inquiries are appropriate. Cases are accepted for investigation if allegations refer to potential fraud by a prime or sub contractor and there is evidence of a potentially serious, or criminal, matter in the allegations made.
	In the 2011-12 financial year, two investigations by DWP relating to welfare to work providers were referred to the police. Both of these police investigations are ongoing. Neither case relates to the Work Programme.
	Between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2012 there have been 126 investigations into allegations of potential fraud by Welfare to Work providers, five of which are on-going. The subject of the allegations in these cases is of a similar nature, that false representations have been made to claim fees, for example falsifying documentation in relation to client signatures, employers' verification or details of the service provided.
	In the course of the investigation, the investigator will gather evidence to establish the facts and determine whether there is a case to answer by:
	recovering and analysing data and documentation;
	interviewing DWP and contractor employees, including any suspects;
	approaching other DWP and contractor employees, customers and other individuals for written witness statements;
	examining available system and written records.
	Internal Investigation reports set out the findings, outcomes and conclusion of an investigation undertaken in light of the allegations received.
	Where the allegations are unproven (or unfounded), no further action is taken.
	Where the investigation identifies evidence of procedural non-compliance, but not evidence of prima facie fraud, these enable the contract management team to seek appropriate remedies (e.g. repayment; control improvement, etc.).
	If sufficient evidence of criminal offences is identified, investigators will refer the matter to the police. Each investigation case is unique and must be considered on its own merits. In determining whether it is appropriate to involve the police, consideration is given to a number of factors, including the strength of evidence available, whether evidence can be attributed to the actions of an individual(s), whether and how they benefited from their actions, and any intelligence on similar previous investigations involving the contractor. Where there is evidence of an individual falsifying documentation to support false payment claims or where additional factors are evident, such as collusion, we will always refer the case to the police.
	The City of London Police is recognised as the national lead Force, and a centre of excellence, for fraud investigation across the UK. They have confirmed that the criteria DWP applies in determining whether to refer cases to Regional Police Forces are both reasonable and appropriate. They have also confirmed that the considerations made are aligned to the general principles applied by the police when deciding whether to investigate cases and allocate resources.
	In addition to referral of cases to regional police where appropriate, in line with measures taken by City of London Police to increase intelligence gathering on fraud related matters, DWP reports all cases where there are grounds to suspect criminal offences to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau database maintained by City of London Police. This enables the police to be sighted on cases being investigated in a centralised and co-ordinated way. It also enables them to build intelligence on individuals and organisations, provides an efficient protocol and interface for disclosing information on fraud at a national level and enables patterns in fraud-related crime to be identified.
	Of these 126 investigations between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2012, 46 resulted in a case to answer, of which 22 had evidence of procedural non-compliance and 24 had evidence of false representation. 10 of these cases have been referred to the police.
	Internal Investigation reports contain specimen evidence and the results of analysis of provider claims that typically include customer details and other confidential information. In addition reports may contain details of any witness interviews undertaken and what they have said. The Department has a general duty of care and obligations under the Human Rights Act and Data Protection Act to safeguard individuals and to handle personal data securely. In respect of witness statements, witnesses are not ordinarily protected under the provisions of whistleblowing legislation and may be vulnerable to reprisals by their employer as well as retribution by people implicated in witness statements. In addition to the impact on individuals, full disclosure of reports would be likely to put at risk the co-operation of individuals on whom an investigation can depend. Furthermore, disclosure of both investigative practice and any vulnerabilities exploited by individuals may increase the vulnerability of the system overall.
	It is also not ordinarily appropriate to publicise the details of specific investigation cases (e.g. provider details, nature of allegation, and outcomes of investigation):
	Disclosure of unproven (or unfounded) allegations could result in litigation against the Department and damage a provider's commercial standing.
	Disclosure of specific cases where the investigation identifies evidence of procedural non-compliance, but not evidence of prima facie fraud, could impact on the willingness of providers or whistleblowers to bring matters or concerns to our attention in the first place and/or damage contractual relationships. The Department's contractual relationship with providers is built on partnership and joint working.
	Premature disclosure of cases where there is evidence of prima facie fraud may potentially prejudice or damage future DWP or police investigations. The police have been clear when conducting investigations that publishing any details of an investigation may carry a serious risk of prejudice to any further action by the police and/or the courts. The police may pursue investigations where patterns in suspected offences (e.g. highlighting links between people, organisations, location and events) become evident from such intelligence collected over time. Intelligence of this nature remains relevant and must be held for a minimum of six years in line with guidance produced by the National Policing Improvement Agency.
	The Department will, however, publicise critical cases once proceedings have begun, and publicise any subsequent sentencing.
	When asked, such as in response to parliamentary questions and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, the Department has disclosed statistical information on investigations, including as an example, the number of investigations undertaken; the number of cases where there are suspicions of criminality; and the number of cases where payments had been claimed that were not due under the contract and the amounts were repaid.
	The Department now intends to publish said information (annually). The information in respect of contracted employment practice for 2006-07 to 2011 -12 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Contracted employment investigation cases at 31 March 2012 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Totals 
			 Accepted Cases 25 34 14 14 23 16 126 
			 On-Going Cases — — — — — 5 5 
			 Closed Cases 8 27 29 16 25 16 121 
			 No Case to Answer 6 15 16 11 18 9 75 
			         
			 Case to Answer 2 12 13 5 7 7 46 
			 Non-Compliance 2 7 6 1 3 3 22 
			 False Representations — 5 7 4 4 4 24 
			         
		
	
	
		
			 Referrals to Police(1) — 1 2 4 1 1 9 
			 Prosecutions — — — 1 — — 1 
			 (1) Closed cases only. Data are reflected in the year cases closed, not necessarily the year the matter was referred to the police or prosecuted. In 2011-12 two cases have been referred to the police. One case has been concluded by the Department. The other is ongoing and is included in the ongoing case figure. 
		
	
	The Department will also disclose information on the number and value of contractor investigations where a loss was identified within its Losses and Special Payments Note in the Annual Report and Accounts.
	When asked to disclose details of specific investigation cases, the Department will use the policy set out above to assess what if any information can be released into the public domain. The expectation is that the Department will commonly decline to provide such details, and will apply recognised FOI exemptions from disclosure, where appropriate: this will principally be Section 30 (investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities), with consideration of the public interest factors for and against disclosure being made on a case by case basis.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessment decisions have been subject to compulsory reconsideration before appeal; and what the outcomes of such reconsiderations have been.

Chris Grayling: Work capability assessment decisions are currently not subject to mandatory reconsideration before appeal.
	The Welfare Reform Act 2012 will introduce changes to the appeals process so claimants must seek a revision of the disputed decision before making an appeal to the first-tier tribunal. An increase in the volumes of social security appeals has led to a substantial increase in the Tribunals Service caseload and longer waiting times for appeals to be heard. These measures aim to ensure timely, proportionate and more efficient dispute resolution.
	The Department proposes to begin implementation of the changes to the appeals process from April 2013.
	Regulations will set out the way in which the change will apply and the types of decisions to which it will apply.

Working Tax Credit: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of couples in the north-east who will be affected by the changes to working tax credit in respect of working hours.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	No such estimate has been made.
	The measure to restrict eligibility to working tax credit to 24 hours for couples with children is part of a range of reforms to the tax credits system announced at the spending review.
	Estimating the effect on families from an individual measure does not give a clear indication of the full monetary impact on an individual household.
	The Government published estimates of the distributional impact of the packages of announced tax and benefit measures which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_annexa.pdf
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_annexb.pdf

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Addison Lee

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: No Ministers, special advisers or senior officials in core DEFRA (permanent secretary and directors-general) have had any meetings with John Griffin of Addison Lee since 12 May 2010. Meetings held by the permanent secretary and Ministers with external organisations are published quarterly on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
	and
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/management/

Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of how the policies announced in the Budget will benefit UK farmers.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The Government do not assess the aggregate impact of the measures announced in the Budget by sector of the economy, such as farming. Annex B of the Budget sets out the impact on households.
	Budget 2012 announced a range of policies that will help businesses including farms to grow. These include launching the national loan guarantee scheme to help businesses access cheaper finance, announcing consultation on simplifying the taxation of small businesses, and setting an ambition to double exports, supported by expanding export finance. For farmers, this will link with actions such as those in the food and drink action plan published earlier this year.

Air Pollution

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she last met Ministers from the Department for (a) Transport, (b) Energy and Climate Change, (c) Health and (d) Communities and Local Government to discuss air quality; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she last met Ministers from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss air quality; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  when she last met Ministers from HM Treasury to discuss air quality; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw) on 20 March 2012, Official Report, column 608W.

Apprentices

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many apprentices were employed by her Department (a) in March 2010, (b) between April 2010 and March 2011 and (c) between April 2011 and March 2012; and how many apprentices she expects her Department to employ between April 2012 and March 2013;
	(2)  how much funding she allocated to apprenticeships in her Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much such funding she plans to allocate in 2012-13.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation, but I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna), on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 488W.

Bees

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has placed an annual monetary value on bees' pollination services.

Richard Benyon: The UK National Ecosystem Assessment, which was published in 2011, estimated the value of pollinators to UK agriculture to be £430 million per annum. The majority of pollination services are provided by wild bees and other insects, along with the honeybee which is the only species of pollinator that is widely managed. The Assessment is available on the website of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment.

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of making the killing of raptors a recordable crime; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) inquiry into wildlife crime will examine the scale of wildlife crime in the UK, including how fully wildlife crimes are recorded, and how rigorously available penalties are applied.
	The Home Office has submitted evidence, including the views of the UK Border Force, to the EAC inquiry and will consider their recommendations once the findings have been published.

Climate Change

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has given to farmers to help them manage soil and water resources in the context of long-term climate change.

Richard Benyon: Climate change is likely to lead to increases in soil erosion, compaction, and organic matter decline. The Government encourages good soil management through the Soil Protection Review (SPR) and Cross Compliance Guide for Soil Management within cross-compliance. The SPR and guidance assists farmers to identify soil degradation risks on their land and provides options for how to address these risks.
	We announced our intention to reform the water abstraction management regime in the Water White Paper. We are working closely with stakeholders, including farmers, to develop a system that helps abstractors manage the risks of climate change more efficiently.
	DEFRA, in collaboration with the industry, provides free advice to farmers on cross-compliance via the newly re-launched Farming Advice Service. From 1 January 2012, this service has begun to develop and provide additional advice on climate change (adaptation and mitigation), nutrient management and competitiveness. This will include advice on enhancing the resilience and decreasing the vulnerability of soil and water resources.
	The Environment Agency, as part of their new enhanced role on climate change adaptation, will also be working with the farming community over the coming year to further develop the information and advice available to farmers to help them adapt to climate change.

Compost: Mushrooms

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department last issued guidelines for mushroom composting production; and when new guidelines will next be issued.

Richard Benyon: Guidance on air and odour pollution standards for mushroom compost manufacture (PG 6/30) was last issued in 2006. Under the periodic review of all industrial air pollution guidance notes, a review of this document is scheduled to begin this autumn.

Consultants

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on efficiency and reform in government corporate functions through shared service centres, HC 1790, which management consultants were involved in (a) setting up and (b) operation of the shared service centre project for her Department.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA engaged IBM under its existing service contract to conduct the feasibility study and assist in the set up of its shared service centre. Since the centre went live in April 2007, it has been run without the involvement of management consultants.

Derelict Land: Contamination

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department provides to local authorities to assist with the costs of cleaning up contaminated brownfield sites.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA funds the Environment Agency to help local authorities in England cover the capital cost of implementing the contaminated land regime under part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Known as the Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme, funding for this financial year is currently being finalised. The funding for 2011-12 was £4.35 million.

Droughts

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likelihood of below-average rainfall in drought affected areas during the 2012-13 winter.

Richard Benyon: There is no information available on the likelihood of rainfall during the 2012-13 winter. The overall three month forecast (March-April-May) currently indicates less rainfall expected than the seasonal average. There are low levels of certainty in this forecast for UK-average precipitation.
	The Government have established a National Drought Group to co-ordinate the actions needed for the drought this year and for 2013, should the drought continue.

Droughts

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department primarily deal with drought response and planning.

Richard Benyon: During non-drought periods a team of three deals with water resource management plans, drought plans and Water Act issues, supported by senior management and with specialist input.
	In line with the Department's aim of resourcing changing priorities flexibly, during the current drought this core team has been strengthened so that it has approximately doubled in size. This is kept under review to ensure adequate resourcing throughout the period. In addition, a number of officials from other parts of DEFRA's business (e.g. farming) are involved in drought related activities.
	The Environment Agency has deployed a significant number of officials, both centrally and in the regions, to deal with the current drought situation.
	DEFRA is also working closely with the water industry, stakeholders, and other Government Departments through a National Drought Group, supported by specialist sub-groups and weekly meetings.

Floods

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the insurance industry on provision for areas at high risk of flooding following the expiration of the Statement of Principles.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA Ministers have had recent meetings with a variety of representatives from the insurance industry regarding the future of flood insurance beyond June 2013, which is when the current agreement with insurers expires.
	As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. The Government remains committed to making sure flood insurance remains widely available and is considering the case for additional measures to help safeguard the affordability of flood insurance.

Floods

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Gloucester were at high risk of flooding in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: In Gloucestershire, 8,000 properties have a 1% (one in 100) chance of flooding each year from main rivers; 25,500 properties have a 0.5% (one in 200) chance of flooding each year from surface water flooding.
	In Gloucester, 2,750 properties have a 1% (one in 100) chance of flooding each year from main rivers; 2,900 properties have a 0.5% (one in 200) chance of flooding each year from surface water flooding.

Floods: Victims

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department plans to take to assist flood victims when the present Statement of Principles expires; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her policy is on establishing an insurance pooling arrangement for potential flood victims;
	(3)  whether Ministers in her Department have had discussions with the insurance industry on the development of an Oxera or Morpeth insurance model.

Richard Benyon: The existing Statement of Principles is due to expire on 30 June 2013 and insurers do not want to renew it. A new shared understanding is being developed that sets out more clearly what individual customers can expect from their insurer and the Government.
	We are also considering the case for additional measures to help safeguard the affordability of flood insurance. We are at an advanced stage in intensive negotiations with the insurance industry and will provide a further update later in the spring.

Lighting

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on reducing light pollution.

Richard Benyon: In 2006, DEFRA produced guidance for local authorities on meeting their duties in investigating complaints of artificial light, when it was added to the statutory nuisance regime. The booklet, which is available on the DEFRA website, includes guidance on reducing light pollution produced by non-Government organisations such as the Institution of Lighting Professionals' “Guidance on the Reduction of Obtrusive Lighting”.
	Additionally, as per DEFRA's commitment in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper to
	“work with industry and other bodies to reduce the negative impacts of artificial light and protect existing dark areas”,
	we have contributed text on minimising obtrusive light to the UK Lighting Board's highway lighting guidance for local authorities. The document, “Well-lit Highways”, can be found on the UK Lighting Board's website.
	In 2011, DEFRA also carried out a review of 15 local authorities reduced street lighting initiatives aimed at reducing costs, carbon emissions and light pollution. It is hoped that the information contained within this report, which is also available on the DEFRA website, may inform local authorities who face similar economic and environmental challenges in the future.
	DEFRA will continue its role of ensuring future relevant Government policy development suitably considers the impact of outdoor artificial lighting.

Noise

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the number of noise complaints received by local authorities in England in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Local authorities have no obligation to report noise complaints data to DEFRA. DEFRA holds information provided by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), which carries out an annual noise nuisance complaint survey.
	DEFRA holds the CIEH survey results for England for the following years, as shown in the following table. The number of local authorities who respond to the survey varies each year, so this information is also provided.
	
		
			 Number 
			  Noise nuisance complaints Local authorities responding 
			 2009-10 186,420 165 
			 2008-09 158,379 170 
			 2007-08 195,113 193 
			 2006-07 120,823 163 
			 2005-06 147,723 206 
		
	
	For 2010-11, DEFRA only holds the combined results for England and Wales, where 137,977 complaints were received by 152 local authorities.

Pesticides

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the use of nerve-agent pesticides on levels of food production;
	(2)  what discussion she has had with her EU counterparts on the effect of the use of nerve-agent pesticides on (a) global food production and (b) bee colonies across Europe.

Richard Benyon: Neonicotinoid insecticides prevent damage to important food crops such as cereals, oilseed rape, brassicas and sugar beet from pests such as aphids. When the aphid feeds on the crop it can introduce viruses which cause disease such as barley yellow dwarf virus (affecting cereals) and beet yellow virus (affecting sugar beet). These can have serious effects on crop yields and quality. Use of neonicotinoid seed treatments provides an alternative mode of action to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides, and plays a key role helping to prevent the build up of resistance in the pests concerned.
	Resistance to the main alternatives to neonicotinoids (pyrethroids and organophosphates) has emerged to a significant degree in pollen beetle (which is a widespread pest of oilseed rape) in France, Poland and Germany. Although resistance in the UK is limited to relatively small pockets of Eastern England, use of foliar neonicotinoids is the recommended agronomic strategy for containing resistant communities.
	There have been no specific ministerial discussions within the EU on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on food production. EU discussions on bee health have been in response to the Commission's Communication to the European Parliament and the Council in December 2010 which clarified the key issues related to bee health and the actions that the Commission is taking and intended to take to address these, including the subsequent appointment of an EU Reference Laboratory for Bee Health.

Pesticides

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what parts of the UK nerve-agent pesticides are being used; and what assessment she has made of the geographical dispersal of such pesticides.

Richard Benyon: Neonicotinoid insecticides are used in all parts of the UK, particularly on field crops such as cereals, oilseed rape, brassicas and sugar beet. There are no current authorisations in the UK for fipronil products.
	Detailed information on the size of areas treated with specific pesticide active substances collected in the Government's Pesticide Usage Surveys is available on the Food and Environment Research Agency website. This shows the following treated areas in Great Britain in 2010 with neonicotinoid insecticides.
	
		
			 Active substance 2010 treated area (ha) (1,2,3) 
			 Acetamiprid 7,474 
			 Clothianidin 728,209 
			 Imidacloprid 184,950 
			 Thiacloprid 49,404 
		
	
	
		
			 Thiamethoxam 297,320 
			 (1) These data are drawn from the Pesticides Usage Survey. The survey is a rolling programme and does not look at every crop in every year. Arable crops—which account for most of the use of neonicotinoids—were surveyed in 2010. The other crops included were surveyed between 2007 and 2010. (2) "Treated area" is the area treated with each active substance, multiplied by the number of times the area was treated. For example, if a field of 10 ha is treated four times with active X, the treated area is 40 ha. In the case of neonicotinoids the "treated area" is likely to be slightly larger than the crop area on which the pesticides were used. Most neonicotinoids are applied as seed treatments and will therefore only be used once per season. However, some are used as foliar treatments and may be applied several times each year. (3) Pre-2010 surveys show an area of 190 ha treated with fipronil when authorisations were in place.

Pesticides

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had on the effect of nerve-agent pesticides in (a) the UK and (b) Europe; when such discussions took place; and who attended such discussions.

Richard Benyon: There have been no specific ministerial discussions on neonicotinoid insecticides or fipronil outside Government or with other EU Ministers. The Health and Safety Executive's Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD), the UK pesticides regulatory body, is in regular contact with pesticide regulatory authorities in other member states, particularly the small number that have imposed greater restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids than have other member states. The CRD also provides regulatory support to the work of the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides in the UK.
	Government scientists and officials are also actively engaged in a number of important international initiatives in this area, such as the European Commission's plan for Honeybee Health, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Pesticides Effects on Insect Pollinators initiative, the work of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation, in developing the risk assessment schemes for honeybees which will cover all types of pesticides, including systemic seed treatments. CRD regulatory scientists are also participating in the work of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry on the pesticides risk assessment for pollinators (honeybees and non-Apis bees). Scientists and officials will continue to develop these links, including involvement in a Bee Working Group being established by the European Food Safety Authority to develop guidance to be used in the EU pesticides risk assessment process.

Pesticides

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to create a list of prescribed pesticide ingredients under section 43 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The intentional use of poisoned bait to kill wild birds or animals is already prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the abuse or misuse of pesticides is also an offence under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. Pesticides most commonly occurring in wildlife poisoning incidents are not approved for use in the UK, so people should not have them in their possession. In view of the legislation already in place, an order under section 43 will not be pursued at this time.

Peter Cruddas

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had any meetings with Peter Cruddas since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: No Ministers, special advisers or senior core DEFRA officials have had any meetings with Peter Cruddas since May 2010.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of her Department's consultations have been externally verified since 2007; for what reason and by whom such verification was carried out; and what the cost to the public purse was of such verification.

Richard Benyon: None of the consultations carried out by core DEFRA since 2007 have been externally verified.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department collects the IP addresses of online respondents to its consultations.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not collect IP addresses of respondents to its consultations.

Public Consultation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department accepts anonymous contributions to its consultations.

Richard Benyon: Yes. All responses, both written and those fed in through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings, are analysed carefully and are considered as part of the consultation process.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff of her Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: In 2010-11, 48 DEFRA employees retired, of whom 23 retired below their pensionable age.
	In 2011-12, 120 DEFRA employees retired, of whom 77 retired below their pensionable age.
	The figures include members of staff who left the Department for the following reasons:
	Normal age-related retirement;
	Actuarially reduced retirement;
	Retirement on grounds of ill-health;
	Voluntary exit scheme with receipt of pension.

Sarah Southern

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: No Ministers, special advisers or senior core DEFRA officials have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010.

Seafish

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the makeup of each panel appointed by Seafish will take into account geographical and sector interests.

Richard Benyon: The makeup of each panel will ultimately be determined by Seafish, having taken account of the messages from the recent discussion with industry. I understand they will have a mix of sectoral and regional interest. Seafish will announce the makeup of the panels in May and details will be available on their website.

Tyres: Exports

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what volume of used car tyres was exported to the Far East under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 in each month since September 2011 from (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what safeguards are built into the monitoring by the Environment Agency of the trade in used tyres from the UK to the Far East, to determine that the eventual destination of these shipments can demonstrate that the tyres are being recovered using Best Available Technique and that the lifecycle analysis of this trade demonstrates a lower generation of gas and carbon emissions compared with viable alternatives to recycle used tyres in the UK.

Richard Benyon: Under the controls on waste shipments from the EU, used car tyres may be legally exported from the UK and EU to certain countries specified in the legislation for genuine recovery including energy recovery and/or recycling.
	Tyres are classified as “green list” waste and may be exported from the UK to these countries without prior notification and consent from the environment agencies. Records relating to the export of used car tyres from the UK under the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 are therefore not routinely collected by the environment agencies. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collect data for the export of used pneumatic tyres from the UK, and this is available on line at:
	www.uktradeinfo.com
	The Environment Agency takes an intelligence-led approach to monitoring the export of waste and works with a number of partners, including the police, HMRC and competent authorities abroad to disrupt illegal exports of waste. The Environment Agency also works closely with the shipping industry to determine the final destination of suspected illegal consignments of waste, and takes enforcement action where necessary.

Water

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the potential cost of building a pipeline to move water from the north to the south of England.

Richard Benyon: In 2006, the Environment Agency assessed the cost of a north to south pipeline and estimated costs of between £8 million and £14 million per megalitre a day compared to about £1.6 million per megalitre for building a new reservoir in the south east.
	As water is heavy and expensive to move large scale infrastructure investment does not tend to be cost effective against alternative options. Relatively local connections are likely to be more cost effective, incrementally building a more integrated network. Water companies are already joining up their sources of supply to build resilience, bring flexibility to the water supply network and keep down the costs of meeting future demand. A new option to transfer water from Severn Trent to Anglian Water to improve resilience to drought is currently under development.
	The Government, Ofwat and the Environment Agency are taking action to ensure that options for trading and transfer of water are taken forward where they are sustainable and cost effective for consumers.

Water Charges

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to prevent water companies overcharging customers who pay by direct debit; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat is the economic regulator of water and sewerage services in England and Wales. Complaints about billing and charging account for 54% of complaints to Ofwat and the sector's consumer body, the Consumer Council for Water. Inaccurate direct debits results in the customer making payments and then having to retrieve the money from their water company.
	Ofwat are clear that inappropriate sums should not be taken via direct debit without the customer's consent. The Direct Debit Agreement operated by BACS requires water companies to notify customers in advance of a debit if the amount, date or frequency is to change. BACS will seek to resolve disputes on behalf of customers if they consider a direct debit has been made without their consent.
	Ofwat expects companies to respond in a timely and appropriate manner if a customer disputes their bill or payment.

Water Supply

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effect of fracking in the UK on the sustainability of water resources.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency is currently undertaking a detailed environmental assessment of shale gas extraction to ensure that it has all the information it needs to be able to regulate appropriately to protect the environment, including water resources.
	Any application to abstract water in England and Wales for hydraulic fracturing will be assessed by the Environment Agency like any other application for water abstraction. The Environment Agency will only authorise additional water abstraction when there is water available and there are no risks to the rights of existing abstraction licence holders. It has powers to impose appropriate restrictions where these are justified in the specific context.

Water: Shortages

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the economy of the hosepipe bans currently in force.

Richard Benyon: The current cost to the economy of the hosepipe bans currently in force is currently considered to be low. Work by the National Drought Group will include developing the evidence base for social and economic costs of the ongoing drought.

Water: Shortages

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of problems in the agricultural sector caused by inadequate water supplies in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: There has been no specific assessment of problems in the agriculture sector caused by inadequate water supplies in the last five years. DEFRA undertakes annual surveys to understand and monitor changes in the sector, but these can be influenced by a number of factors, of which water supply is just one. Farmers are experienced at dealing with changes in weather and impacts on the natural environment and will continue to take decisions in the light of their local circumstances, on how to manage their operations and business in order to adapt to and mitigate a wide range of impacts.
	DEFRA funds research and collaborates with industry on projects bearing on water use and water availability for farming. These include R and D on irrigation, crop breeding for improved water use efficiency and improving the efficiency of water use on livestock farms, and helping farmers better plan and manage their water requirements through collaborative approaches and the use of on-farm water storage reservoirs.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Afghanistan on the number of women imprisoned for zina in Afghanistan since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I have not held any specific discussions with my Afghan interlocutors on the imprisonment of women for zina-related offences. However, we continue to work with our international partners to press the Afghan Government to uphold its commitments under the Afghan Constitution, which includes equal rights for men and women.

Afghanistan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 492W, on Afghanistan, if he will work with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to examine the increase in the number of women being arrested and imprisoned for zina in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK, alongside international partners, continues to provide funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission on a broad range of Human Rights concerns inside Afghanistan. An important area of their work focuses on educating Afghan citizens on human rights, particularly in reference to women and children, and resolving cases of human rights violations and abuse. The UK will continue to support their work.

Business: Ethics

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to promote the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights to companies listed in the UK.

Jeremy Browne: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and other Departments have recently had a series of meetings with UK companies to discuss the Guiding Principles on business and human rights.
	The outcome of these meetings will be used to inform development of the forthcoming Government strategy on business and human rights, which will comprise a strong Government endorsement of the Guiding Principles and messaging for companies on our expectations about corporate respect for human rights.
	Officials across Whitehall have also been working to introduce dedicated information on the Guiding Principles, and business and human rights, to the Overseas Business Risk service, run jointly by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the FCO. The many companies currently accessing this service will shortly also be able to assess the risks of overseas markets, including relevant country-specific human rights issues.

Commonwealth

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which vehicles are provided for the use of high commissioners and consuls in each of the Commonwealth countries.

Henry Bellingham: Official vehicles are not provided for the use of consuls. The following vehicles are provided for the use of high commissioners in Commonwealth countries:
	
		
			 Country Vehicle 
			 Australia Jaguar Xj8 Sedan 
			 Bangladesh Range Rover 
			 Barbados Subaru Outback 
			 Belize Range Rover 
			 Botswana Jaguar S Type 
			 Brunei Toyota Prius 
			 Cameroon Land Rover Discovery 
			 Canada Land Rover LR3 
			 Cyprus Jaguar XjS 
			 The Gambia Land Rover Discovery 
			 Ghana Land Rover Discovery 
			 Guyana Toyota Land Cruiser 
			 India Land Rover Discovery 
			 Jamaica Range Rover 
			 Kenya Toyota Land Cruiser 
			 Malawi Range Rover 
			 Malaysia Jaguar S type 
			 Malta Jaguar X type 
			 Mauritius Jaguar S type 
			 Mozambique Land Rover Discovery 
			 Namibia Land Rover Discovery 
			 New Zealand Jaguar XF 
			 Nigeria Land Rover Discovery 
			 Pakistan Land Rover Discovery 
			 Papua New Guinea Toyota Land Cruiser 
			 Rwanda Range Rover 
			 Seychelles BMW 
			 Sierra Leone Land Rover Discovery 
			 Singapore Jaguar XJS 
			 Solomon Islands Hyundai Santa Fe 
			 South Africa Jaguar XJ 
			 Sri Lanka Jaguar XJ 
			 Tanzania Toyota Vx 
			 Trinidad and Tobago Land Rover Discovery 
			 Uganda Range Rover 
			 Zambia Land Rover Discovery

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is planning a Diamond Jubilee event at the European Parliament.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no plans to hold an event at the European Parliament in connection with the Diamond Jubilee.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he plans to make for celebrations of Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee in British embassies and consulates.

Jeremy Browne: The diamond jubilee is an important celebration for the United Kingdom, at home and overseas. We have encouraged our ambassadors and high commissioners to mark the occasion and through it to strengthen our bilateral relationships with their host countries. Many are planning events for the jubilee weekend. Others have already taken the opportunity of visits by members of the royal family to celebrate the jubilee.

Female Genital Mutilation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with countries in sub-Saharan Africa on the prevention of female genital mutilation of girls from the UK.

Henry Bellingham: The Government is committed to tackling and preventing female genital mutilation (FGM). Although female genital mutilation is a complicated cultural and religious issue and remains legal in some sub-Saharan countries, we do discuss it with governments in countries in which it is still practiced. At the time of writing, the Ministerial Champion for tackling violence against women and girls overseas, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), is in Africa. In Ethiopia, she held wide-ranging discussions with the Ethiopian Government on what more can be done to address gender-based violence, including FGM. In Uganda she will also discuss the issue of violence against women, including encouraging the Government to implement existing legislation against FGM. We continue to raise the issue through our posts in the sub-Saharan Africa, for instance recently in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Female Staff

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the proportion of female civil servants was in his Department at the level of director and above in the second quarter of 2011-12.

Henry Bellingham: The average percentage of Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK based female officers at director level and above, at home and overseas, in the second quarter of financial year (FY) 2011-12 was 13.2%. The current figure is 16%. The proportion of female officers in the senior management structure as a whole during the second quarter of FY 2011-12 averaged 22.4%. The current figure is 24.3%.

Guided Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the Storm Shadow missile made by MBDA Missile Systems falls within the scope of the Missile Technology Control Regime; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the work of his Department's Migration Directorate is funded by the UK Border Agency.

Jeremy Browne: 97% of the funding used for Migration Directorate and its overseas network comes from the UK Border Agency.

Immigration

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of staff in the Migration Directorate are on secondment from the UK Border Agency.

Jeremy Browne: 46% of the staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Migration Directorate are seconded from the UK Border Agency.

Immigration

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role staff from his Department's Migration Directorate play in investigating claims of mistreatment of refused asylum seekers who have been forcibly removed from the UK.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Migration Directorate has a network of Migration Delivery Officers (MDOs) based overseas.
	In the event of a claim of mistreatment by a failed asylum seeker who had been returned to their country of origin, the relevant MDO would investigate.

IRA

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed the Government's request to subpoena recordings from the Boston College oral history project with the US Secretary of State.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not discussed the issue of the Boston College oral history project with the US Secretary of State. In line with the Government's bilateral treaty with the United States on mutual legal assistance, all requests for assistance are transmitted via the Home Office.

Israel

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the growth of the Christian community in Israel.

Alistair Burt: The British embassy in Tel Aviv have obtained the following information from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics:
	2.1% of Israeli's population is Christian
	there is a 0.9% growth rate among the Christian population in Israel (this is relatively low)
	More information can be found at:
	http://www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm

Israel

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of freedom of religion in Israel.

Alistair Burt: All Israeli citizens are free to worship according to their own beliefs.
	Israel's Declaration of Independence calls for the establishment of a Jewish state with equal social and political rights for all citizens, irrespective of religion, race or sex. We urge the application of the Declaration of Independence and Israeli law to all citizens of Israel.
	Where there is intolerance, be that of political rights, religion, race or sex, we encourage the Israeli Government to tackle it.

Israel

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Christian community in Israel and their access to holy places.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government places a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all. All Israeli citizens are free to worship according to their own beliefs.
	The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Israel to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement to holy sites outside Israel. The UK Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories.
	Israel's Declaration of Independence calls for the establishment of a Jewish state with equal social and political rights for all citizens, irrespective of religion, race or sex. We urge the application of the Declaration of Independence and Israeli law to all citizens of Israel.

Israel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the boarding in international waters by members of the Israeli armed forces of the ships Beethoven and Victoria in April 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports that HS Beethoven was boarded on 22 April 2012. We have received no reports of Israeli forces boarding the Victoria in April 2012, but are aware of an incident relating to that vessel in April 2011.
	Reports indicate that the Israeli Defence Force boarded the HS Beethoven as part of a routine patrol. The ship's route apparently raised concerns that it might have been carrying weapons destined for Gaza. No weapons were found and the ship continued on route.
	The UK recognises that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must continue to be safeguarded. We urge the Government of Israel to ensure that any actions carried out adhere to international law.

Israel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Israeli navy boarding ships in international waters.

Alistair Burt: The most recent incident of which we are aware is that relating to the HS Beethoven, which was boarded by the Israel Defence Force on 22 April 2012.
	Reports indicate that the Israel Defence Force boarded the HS Beethoven as part of a routine patrol. The ship's route apparently raised concerns that it might have been carrying weapons destined for Gaza. No weapons were found and the ship continued on route.
	The UK recognises that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must continue to be safeguarded. We urge the Government of Israel to ensure that any actions carried out adhere to international law.

Mali

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Mali; and what reports he has received of the claims of the Tuareg people.

Henry Bellingham: The UK welcomes the progress that has been made towards returning Mali to constitutional, civilian rule following the forcible seizure of power on 21 March 2012. We welcome the inauguration of interim President Dioncounda Traore on 12 April 2012 and continue to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)—led efforts to return Mali to full democracy, including the holding of elections. The UK continues to be deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in the north of the country following the capture of three cities by Tuareg insurgents, some with reported connections to Al-Qaeda.
	The UK welcomes the UN Security Council statement of 8 April 2012 rejecting the Tuareg declaration of independence of the state of Azawad in northern Mali. We fully support the efforts made by ECOWAS, as well as by the Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa and by the African Union, to protect the unity and territorial integrity of Mali.

Middle East

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the size of the Christian community in (a) Egypt, (b) Iraq, (c) Israel, (d) Jordan, (e) Lebanon, (f) the Palestinian Territories, (g) Saudi Arabia and (h) Syria.

Alistair Burt: We do not maintain detailed demographic information on foreign states. We rely on a variety of sources such as the State Department's International Religious Freedom report
	http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/
	and UN High Commissioner for Refugees
	http://www.unhcr.org
	The British embassy in Tel Aviv have obtained information from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics noting that 2.1% of Israeli's population is Christian.

Middle East

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security of the Christian community in (a) Egypt, (b) Iraq, (c) Israel, (d) Jordan, (e) Lebanon, (f) the Palestinian Territories, (g) Saudi Arabia and (h) Syria.

Alistair Burt: In Egypt, tensions between Christians and Muslims had eased during the street protests in early 2011. Regrettably, the transition period has seen an upsurge in sectarian violence, but we assess that tensions have decreased since 9 October 2011, when violent clashes resulted in the deaths of 25 people and left over 200 injured.
	In Iraq, the security situation for Christians has generally improved over the past 12 months, although the situation facing Iraq's ethnic and religious groups remains precarious.
	There has been no recent assessment made of the security of either the Palestinian or Israeli Christian communities. However, Palestinian Christians may, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other security restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
	There are no restrictions placed upon Christians in Lebanon and Jordan to practice their religion. In Lebanon the rights of Christians are enshrined in the national pact and the constitution, while in Jordan the Government is overwhelmingly tolerant of the Christian minority. There has been no assessment that this situation has changed in recent months.
	Although the practice of any religion other than Islam is officially banned in Saudi Arabia, being a Christian and worshipping privately does not usually carry any serious punishment. In practice, some moderation has been applied allowing Christian communities to meet in private. We do not assess that this situation has changed in recent months.
	In Syria the regime's actions continue to undermine the stability and security of Syria and therefore endanger all of Syria's citizens, including Christians and other religious minorities.

Middle East and North Africa

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to extend the Middle East and North Africa regional component of the National Action Plan beyond the six countries detailed in the February 2012 revision of the National Action Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Responding in part, to the events of the Arab Spring, the Government published in February and for the first time, a Middle East and North Africa Regional Plan for Women, Peace and Security. Initially the focus of our efforts will be in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya, Occupied Palestinian Territories and Iraq building on the successful partnerships and programmes in those countries, funded through the Arab Partnership Fund and through the Department for International Development/Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Ministry of Defence administered Conflict Pool.
	However, we do expect that the plan will evolve and that activity will be extended to represent other countries in the region. We will review the plan, consulting with Parliament and civil society stakeholders, in the run up to our annual review of the British Government's National Action Plan this October.

Official Visits

Jo Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) outgoing official visits by Ministers in his Department to and (b) incoming visits to the UK by Foreign Affairs Ministers from each other country there have been since May 2010.

David Lidington: As part of HM Government's commitment to transparency each Government Department publishes on a quarterly basis information on Ministers' hospitality, gifts, meetings and overseas travel. Information for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/#Ministers
	Ministers from the following countries have made guest of Government visits:
	Afghanistan
	Angola
	Australia
	Brazil
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	El Salvador
	France
	Lebanon
	Libya
	Malaysia
	Malta
	Pakistan
	Romania
	Russia
	Serbia
	Seychelles
	Somalia
	Thailand
	Turkey
	Uruguay
	Vietnam
	Records are not held centrally of other incoming visits and can therefore not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Official Visits

Jo Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) outgoing official visits by UK Ministers to and (b) incoming visits to the UK by Ministers from each other country there have been since May 2010.

David Lidington: As part of HM Government's commitment to transparency each Government Department publishes on a quarterly basis information on Ministers' hospitality, gifts, meetings and overseas travel. Information for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/#Ministers
	Ministers from the following countries have made guest of Government visits:
	Afghanistan
	Angola
	Australia
	Brazil
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	El Salvador
	France
	Lebanon
	Libya
	Malaysia
	Malta
	Pakistan
	Romania
	Russia
	Serbia
	Seychelles
	Somalia
	Thailand
	Turkey
	Uruguay
	Vietnam
	Records are not held centrally of other incoming visits and can therefore not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

OPEC

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in OPEC countries on fuel prices in the last six months.

Henry Bellingham: On 3 April the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), met HRH Prince Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Saudi Defence Secretary. He noted his appreciation of the role Saudi Arabia is playing in calming the oil market.
	The Secretary of State has not covered fuel prices in discussions with other counterparts from Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries in the last six months.
	On 22 March the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Lord Howell of Guidford, discussed Saudi Arabia's moderating role with regard to oil prices during the visit of the Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Palestinians

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the distribution of water resources in the west bank.

Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response the Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Lord Howell of Guildford, gave in the other place on 23 April 2012, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA361.

Palestinians

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on the planned execution of Muhammed Abu Shahala.

Alistair Burt: Our officials at the British consulate general in Jerusalem have raised concerns about this case at a senior level in the Palestinian Authority. They have also discussed the case with the headquarters of the Palestinian Preventive Security Forces in Hebron.
	We have been informed that Muhammed Abu Shahala is currently being held by the Preventive Security Forces in Hebron but has so far not been sentenced.
	While the Palestinian Authority statute permits the use of the death penalty, an informal moratorium has been in place since the end of 2009 after Palestinian President Abbas undertook not to ratify any death penalty sentences.
	The UK, along with our European partners, regularly raises the issue of the death penalty with the Palestinian Authority. We are following closely the progress of the new penal code, the current draft of which abolishes the death penalty.

Palestinians

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria his Department is using in analysing the content of Palestinian school textbooks.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not analyse the content of Palestinian school textbooks. However, the UK takes very seriously any reports of textbooks which promote anti-Semitism or any other form of incitement to hatred.
	The process for developing and monitoring the content of Palestinian school textbooks is set out in the First Palestinian Curriculum Plan 1998 and implemented by the Palestinian Curriculum Development Centre (PCDC). Under the process set out in the Curriculum Plan, the syllabus of each school grade and subject is evaluated both nationally and internationally. Draft textbooks are then presented to teachers' workshops for evaluation before being scrutinised by panels of academics. Following the initial print runs, further evaluation of each textbook is undertaken by the Assessment and Evaluation Centre. This includes feedback from teachers, content analysis by external experts and structured classroom observations.
	In addition to the monitoring process undertaken by the PCDC, a number of studies by respected research institutions have also reviewed textbooks used in Palestinian schools. Most recently, the US State Department has commissioned a full independent investigation into the content of Palestinian and Israeli school textbooks. This is due to report in 2012.

Palestinians

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to raise concerns over the decline of the Christian community in the Palestinian territories with the Palestinian authorities.

Alistair Burt: Our officials in the Consulate-General in Jerusalem have raised our concerns about the Christian community in the West Bank with the Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs and discussed the need to maintain good relations between Muslims and Christians.
	The Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian territories.

Palestinians

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Christian community in the West Bank; and what plans he has to make representations to the Palestinian authorities on the protection of religious minorities.

Alistair Burt: The Government places a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all.
	The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Gaza or the West Bank to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christian communities are primarily concentrated in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem. Travel by Palestinians between these places remains very difficult due to Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christians may also, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the occupied Palestinian Territories.
	The Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Palestinians

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of freedom of religion in the Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government places a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all.
	The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Gaza or the West Bank to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christian communities are primarily concentrated in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem. Travel by Palestinians between these places remains very difficult due to Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christians may also, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the occupied Palestinian Territories.
	The UK Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Palestinians

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Christian community in Bethlehem.

Alistair Burt: The Government places a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all.
	The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Gaza or the west bank to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christian communities are primarily concentrated in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem. Travel by Palestinians between these places remains very difficult due to Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christians may also, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the occupied Palestinian Territories.
	The Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Palestinians

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Christian community in the Gaza strip.

Alistair Burt: The Government places a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all.
	The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Gaza or the west bank to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christian communities are primarily concentrated in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem. Travel by Palestinians between these places remains very difficult due to Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christians may also, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the occupied Palestinian Territories.
	The Government regularly discusses these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Retirement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of his Department retired in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how many such staff were taking early retirement in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: According to our records in the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 there were 140 retirees of which 86 were early.
	In the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 there were 69 retirees of which 29 were early.
	The retirement figures are for all members of staff who left during this period, were aged 50 plus and had immediate access to their pension.
	The early retirement figures are for those members of staff who left under an early exit scheme and had immediate access to their pension.

Russia

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the conduct of recent presidential elections in the Russian Federation.

David Lidington: The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights noted some positive elements of the electoral process, but also identified problems with unequal campaign conditions and limitations on voter choice. We have called upon the Russian Government to fully investigate all allegations of electoral violations.

Russia

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of press freedom in Russia.

David Lidington: Press freedom in Russia remains limited. There have been examples of journalists being subject to threats and violence, with those reporting on or working in the North Caucasus region particularly at risk. We remain deeply concerned that the perpetrators of such crimes are often not brought to justice.
	There are few restrictions on the internet in Russia and internet use is increasing. There are, however, issues of concern; on the day of the Duma elections in December the websites of several NGOs and independent news outlets were disabled by cyber attacks.
	We fund a number of projects that support media freedom in Russia, as part of efforts to contribute to greater openness and democracy.

Saudi Arabia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on comments on churches in the Arab peninsular made by the current Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin on 12 March 2012; what discussions he has had on the comments with his Saudi Arabian counterpart; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The view expressed by the Grand Mufti, about the destruction of churches in the region, represents a long-standing Saudi Arabian religious position based on a saying attributed to the Prophet that
	“there can be no two religions in the Arabian Peninsula”.
	The UK is concerned by these comments and finds them unacceptable. The British Government strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief but maintains that an open and constructive relationship remains the best way to engage Saudi Arabia on this issue.
	We welcome that Prince Saud, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, made clear to EU ambassadors on 10 April that the Grand Mufti’s recent statement did not represent the Saudi Arabian Government’s position.
	We support the right to freedom of religion or belief. We make our views known through the UN Universal Periodic Review Process, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Human Rights Report and directly with Saudi human rights organisations and the Saudi Arabian Government. The UK will continue to press for greater, more open religious freedom.

Sick Leave

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sick days were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

Henry Bellingham: The number of sick days taken by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK based staff in each of the last three years is:
	
		
			  Days 
			 2011 19290 
			 2010 19660 
			 2009 27804 
		
	
	These figures include both certified and uncertified absences and are based on the calendar year not financial year.
	The 2009 figures include absences for FCO Services (FCOS). This figure cannot be broken down easily and to do so would incur disproportionate costs. The 2010 and 2011 figures exclude FCO Services.

South Sudan

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation in South Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: I am concerned by the situation in South Sudan. The continued conflict with Sudan, inter-communal violence within South Sudan and the shutting down of South Sudan’s oil wells severely diminish South Sudan’s prospects of building a secure and prosperous new nation and add to the humanitarian needs of its people. We urge the Governments of both South Sudan and Sudan to settle all their remaining disputes at the negotiating table, under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel, rather than through militarily action. I welcome the roadmap for implementing a ceasefire and returning to negotiation which was set out by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on 24 April. We will continue to make representations on its implementation to both governments.

Sri Lanka

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 684W, on Sri Lanka: armed conflict, whether he has received any further reports on the activities of Major General De Silva as Commander of the 55th Army Division during the final stages of Sri Lanka's civil war; and what representations he has received from non-governmental organisations.

Alistair Burt: In January 2012, we received representations from four non-governmental organisations and have advised them that any credible evidence of war crimes should be passed to the Metropolitan police. We understand that they have done so.

Sri Lanka

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the Migration Delivery Officer at the British High Commission in Colombo has played in investigating claims that Tamils forcibly removed to Sri Lanka have suffered ill-treatment on return.

Jeremy Browne: The Migration Delivery Officer (MDO) in Colombo is responsible for investigating any claims of ill-treatment of those forcibly returned to Sri Lanka. To date no allegation of mistreatment has been substantiated following these investigations.

St Helena

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) his special advisers have had meetings with Lord Ashcroft to discuss the construction of an airport on St Helena.

Henry Bellingham: No such meetings have taken place.

St Helena

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the construction of an airport on St Helena.

Henry Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), regularly discusses many foreign policy issues with the Prime Minister. The content of those discussions is confidential.

Sudan and South Sudan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to update advice offered to UK nationals in or intending to visit Sudan and South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: Our travel advice on Sudan and South Sudan is reviewed and updated regularly. We advise against travel to areas that are affected by the recent increase in border tensions, to areas of internal conflict in the two countries and highlight other security concerns. The up to date advice can be accessed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Sudan: South Sudan

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed the military situation in Sudan and South Sudan with representatives of the Chinese Government.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), discussed Sudan and South Sudan during a meeting with China's Special Envoy for Africa in February. The Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), met the Chinese ambassador to Sudan earlier this year to discuss greater UK-China co-operation. We have regular contact at official level through UK Special Representatives, as well as through our missions in Beijing, Khartoum, Juba and New York.

Sudan: South Sudan

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the conflicts between Sudan and South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: As I made clear in my recent statements of 11, 20 and 24 April, we condemn all cross border actions by Sudan and South Sudan. Both sides must establish a ceasefire in line with the agreement on non-aggression that they signed in February, honour their commitment to establish the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission without further delay, and cease all support to armed groups in the territory of the other state. I welcome the roadmap and timetable for implementing a ceasefire and returning to negotiations which was set out by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on 24 April. We will continue to make representations on its implementation to both Governments and militaries, and to provide political and practical support to the African Union's mediation efforts.

Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have requested consular support in Syria in each of the last three months.

Alistair Burt: In the last three months, there have been three British nationals who have requested consular assistance in Syria; three in February, 0 in March and 0 in April. On 1 March 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced his decision to suspend all services of the British embassy in Damascus with immediate effect. We advise against all travel to the Syrian Arab Republic, and that British nationals in Syria should leave now by commercial means while these are still available. Those who choose to remain in Syria or to visit against our advice should be aware that we cannot provide consular assistance or services in Syria. However, the UK has appointed Hungary to act as its Protecting Power in Syria. The Hungarian embassy in Damascus can provide emergency assistance to British nationals.

Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the level of civil unrest in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: As I said in a statement on 27 April we remain deeply concerned by the reprehensible violence we continue to see perpetrated by the Assad regime in Syria, despite the ceasefire.
	The Joint UN/Arab League Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, said in a briefing to the UN Security Council on 24 April that Syria is still witnessing unacceptable levels of violence. The UN Secretary-General has also condemned the continued repression against the Syrian civilian population and violence from any quarter.
	The regime must urgently implement in full Annan's six point plan, including a political transition. We continue to urge the opposition to adhere to the ceasefire and also to work with Joint UN/Arab League Envoy Kofi Annan on a political transition.

Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Iranian and (b) Turkish counterpart on the current civil unrest in Syria.

Alistair Burt: We hold regular discussions at all levels with our Turkish counterparts on the unrest in Syria. We also work closely with the Turkish Government in international fora as we search to resolve the current crisis.
	We have had no recent discussions with the Iranian Government at any level on Syria. We are deeply concerned by credible information that Iran is providing equipment and technical advice to help the Syrian regime quash protests in Syria. Such support is unacceptable. As elsewhere in the region, protestors in Syria must be allowed to express their legitimate aspirations and peacefully call for change without fear of brutal repression.

Thailand

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the freedom of journalists in Thailand.

Jeremy Browne: Human rights are at the heart of the UK's foreign policy. As such our embassies make regular assessments of the human rights situation in their host countries, including freedom of expression which remains a priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	The media in Thailand is by and large free of interference and it reflects all sides of the political spectrum. There remains an issue with self-censorship. Journalists tend not to report on certain issues for fear of getting either themselves or their organisations into trouble, particularly on sensitive topics including the Monarchy. In the Reporters without Borders “press freedom index 2011” Thailand has risen from being ranked 153 to 137, which although a rise in standing still illustrates a restriction to free reporting. Human rights groups also continue to raise concerns about the use of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act to interfere with the internet on grounds of national security, which has been deemed to include criticism of the monarchy. Out ambassador in Bangkok has raised the issue of freedom of expression a number of times with the Thai authorities.

Turkey

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Turkish citizens employed in the EU who will seek resident rights in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	No such estimate has been made. Statistics in respect of grants of entry and residence to Turkish nationals do not distinguish between those arriving directly from Turkey and those previously working in another member state of the European Union.